


An Unlikely Duo

by Seikilos



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Battle Academia (League of Legends), Ezreal is a bisexual disaster, I wrote this for a friend -- so maybe i'll write more?, Jayce? Flirting with Ez? More likely than you think, M/M, Pining Jayce, implied Settphel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seikilos/pseuds/Seikilos
Summary: In another way to rigorously train their students, Battle Academia had decided to randomly assign people random lanes in a mock arena battle. Ezreal was hoping he would strike gold by being paired with Lux. Sadly, his luck told him no.Maybe he could prove himself to Jayce, as well.
Relationships: Ezreal/Jayce (League of Legends)
Comments: 70
Kudos: 129





	1. Off Meta (Ezreal POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all. I've been playing League of Legends for all of maybe 2 months during this quarantine and in a random headcanon shot back and forth with a friend, I was convinced to write this fic. Enjoy. If enough people like it, maybe I'll write more...
> 
> Also I didn't have it beta'd so maybe I'll have someone do that next time lol.

“We’re shakin’ things up,” Professor Graves took a paper off his desk and adjusted his glasses. “We’re about due for another battle exam, and principal Yuumi had an interesting proposition.”

Ezreal propped his cheek on his fist, bored. Any time things were ‘shaken up’ it meant they were forcing random battles that were always unfair. Last time, Ezreal was pitted against _the_ Katarina. How could he have ever beat the best student in the academy? He kept his optimism surrounding him, but it did him no good, as she had no problem mopping the floor with him. 

“We’re randomizing placements. All of ‘em. You’ll be placed randomly into a lane. It might be the lane you prefer, might not. We’re testin’ for resilience.” 

Perking up, Ezreal found his brain running in every direction possible. _‘What if I’m paired with Lux? Wouldn’t that be great? What if we both got assigned bot lane? Us, alone… And whoever we’re against… I could protect her…’_ He found himself giggling at the fantasy.

“Before we begin dishin’ out assignments, know that this was entirely randomized. So don’t come complainin’ to me that you don’t like your placement.” Graves eyes pointed to Kai’sa, who had, apparently, dealt with a terrible Jinx. It was surprising to hear, honestly, since Jinx was a molotov cocktail filled with gunpowder and when she did actually participate in the academy, someone was bound to be covered in debris. Kai’sa appeared unphased at the silent scolding.

Graves cleared his throat and began reading off the list. Things were already sounding odd when Katarina was put in jungle. Ezreal felt the certain fear of having the bad luck of being put in jungle as well. Normally, he was really lucky, but this sounds like it could be it.

It didn’t take long before Lux’s name was called for a top lane. Ez felt a small bit of frustration at his disrupted fantasy, but kept on listening until he heard his name. “Bottom lane… Jayce. Supported by Ezreal.”

“Huh?” Okay, maybe it was completely random, but supporting _Jayce_ ? _The genius himself?_ Ez would have preferred Sett, at least he wouldn’t compare himself, but Jayce could, and would, get things done. He turned his attention over to Jayce, who seemed perfectly fine with the placement. There was a small smile on his face that Ez could have sworn he was trying to hide. His eyes glanced back at Ezreal, and he nodded confidently. Ezreal felt his heart skip a beat. _Jayce was so cool. They could handle themselves right?_

Wrong.

While Ezreal was stretching behind a turret, Jayce spoke up. “Who do you think we’re going against?”

“Hm? Well it’s either Sett and Aphelios or… Kayne and Shyvana. I like my chances against Kayne and Shyvana a lot more.” 

Jayce hauled up his hammer and rested it on his shoulders. “I’d rather not get in close quarters with Sett, so I hope you’re right.”

“Right?! And of course he’s paired with his best friend.” Ez complained. Sett would get that lucky. Him and Aphelios seemed to get along so well, as strange as the pair was.

“Best friend?” A smile on Jayce’s face felt cocky and judging. 

“Well yeah, they seem pretty close, don’t they?” 

“A lot closer than friends if you ask me.” Jayce began walking forward as the announcer called for minions to spawn. “Keep your distance behind me until we find out who we’re up against.”

“I know how to fight.”

“I’m just making sure. Wouldn’t want us losing because of you.”

So _this_ was the legendary Jayce. Sure, he was class president and everyone looked up to him, but he definitely had a personality to him that was… hard to get along with. “I can hold my own.”

“Prove it to me.” He turned back to face Ez, a confident smile lifted Ez’s spirits. Sure, he may be a bit cocky but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t get along. Besides, how could you _not_ feel great when Jayce was looking at you like that? _‘...Okay Ez, cool it a little. He’s no bright beacon of sunshine like Lux is.’_

A mere seconds more and they saw their foes. Sett and Aphelios. In all honesty, they heard Sett first, his voice booming in the echo chamber of the arena. “You know, Phel, you should try Ionian silk. It’s seriously the best. I swear by it, and so does my mama.” 

“Shouldn’t you be worried about your opponents, and not your fashion choices, Sett?” Despite Ezreal’s frustrated disposition toward the _worst_ matchup in history, Jayce seemed to be teeming with energy. 

“Oh, going against Class prez himself? Consider me lucky. I’m gonna _love_ beating you to a pulp.” Sett taunted, cracking his knuckles. “Say, you think I can be class president if I kick your ass?”

“Don’t get too cocky.”

And then the battle began.

It was swift motions, with Sett and Aphelios working like a well-oiled machine. Any time one made a small mistake, the other made up for it. Jayce and Ezreal, on the other hand, struggled to work together. A few shots missed, nearly searing off part of Jayce’s hair; Jayce slamming down the hammer and knocking Ezreal off balance. It seemed impossible for them to work together, and their frustration toward each other was beginning to grow as their first tower began to weaken.

“Hey, you’re too close.” Jayce elbowed Ez gently in warning. “If you don’t want to get hit by my hammer, you need to step back.”

“I need to get closer to land my shots on them. I can’t do good damage otherwise.”

“You’re supposed to be supporting me, I can take out the enemies you don’t need to do massive damage.”

“But it would be better if we _did_.”

It was just after Aphelios had been eliminated, Jayce and Ez had retreated back behind their crumbling turret. “Just listen to me, okay? I know what I’m doing.”

“I know what I’m doing as well, Jayce!” Ezreal wanted to get mad, but he knew he couldn’t keep riling up Jayce. The argument would have lasted forever. Letting out a sigh, Ez tried to reset himself. “We need to find a way to work together that makes both of us happy. If those two can do it, so can we. Us arguing with each other will get nothing done.”

Jayce hummed for a moment, hopefully considering what Ezreal had to say. “You’re right. We need to synergize. What if you used one of your blast attacks closer to them, you teleport away, and I come from behind hammer swinging? That’s a quick take down on either one of them. Even Sett wouldn’t survive that.”

“Hey, you might actually be onto something. That means I can actually get some damage in!”

“And you’ll be out of my blast radius.” Jayce winked. 

Ezreal turned away quickly, feeling his face warm up. Jayce was immensely charming, Ez couldn’t deny that. He was popular for a reason, that was for sure. Ezreal really wanted to be like that.

“Are you okay? Do you need to teleport back?” Jayce asked, but Ez refused to meet his gaze.

“Nah, I’m fine. Anyway, I think I heard Sett running his mouth again come on let’s _go_!” Ezreal feigned excitement, hoping Jayce wouldn’t ask any questions. He heard a husky chuckle come from behind him. Was Jayce teasing him?

The next couple of minutes of the match went well. Between Katarina coming to help deal with Aphelios on the backline, and Jayce finally working together with Ez, things were looking up. That was until Sett finally kicked into gear and got aggressive. There was _no_ punishing him anymore and Ezreal was about to get the brunt of the blow.

Glaring down at him, a murderer’s grin showing his intent, Sett grabbed Ezreal’s entire body and he was weightless. “This is gonna hurt!” Sett howled as Ez felt bludgeoning pain reverberate through his entire being. 

This was his first encounter with Sett’s special move and Ezreal had decided he was never going to go one on one against Sett ever again. The pain that surged through his body was indescribable, and he found himself unable to move. Sett looked proud of himself as his fists appeared to charge up. “Please… not the face…” Ez groaned as he closed his eyes, awaiting the worst.

“To the skies!” A roar descended from above. This is it. Ezreal rolled out the way as Jayce’s hammer came down on an unsuspecting Sett. There were a couple grunts from Sett as Jayce finished him off. Ezreal tried to get his bearings and stand. He turned back to Jayce, leaning over with his hand outstretched to Ez. “Are you alright?” He accompanied the question with a soft, reassuring smile. Ez nervously coughed up a bit of blood, which undoubtedly was _very_ unattractive but he was _very_ distracted with how pretty Jayce looked, sweat covered with a couple of bruises. Ez was at a loss for words as he was pulled up. “He did a number on you. Think you can manage?”

“Uh…” He couldn’t stop staring. Jayce looked _worried_. “Uhh….” Ezreal turned and took a couple of steps back to his turret, leaving Jayce confused. 

“You didn’t get a concussion did you?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ezreal squeaked. He cleared his throat, gathering his nerves. “Give me a second to catch my breath.”

“Sure, but don’t take long, looks like Aphelios is back, and he looks mad.” Jayce nods in the direction of the enemy turret. 

“Yeah, I’m coming. Don’t go in there alone.”

“Wouldn’t want you to miss out on the action.” Jayce lets out a hefty chuckle, which causes Ezreal to laugh a little.

The rest of the battle went well. Besides Sett being a problem, the rest of the team did great and Ez’s team came out victorious. If you ignore the stats telling Ezreal that he fed Aphelios, everything was great about the battle. 

Ezreal stood outside the test arena, trying to find Lux. He was curious how her game went. Looking in every direction, a voice came up behind him.

“Great job today, Ezreal.” Ez turned around to see Jayce with a big grin. He gave Ez a congratulatory smack on the back and added, “we should do that again sometime.”

Ezreal laughed awkwardly before giving a playful punch to Jayce’s shoulder. Which, might Ezreal add, was very firm. “Do what again? Lane together?”

“Yeah, you’re great, and it was fun supporting with you.” 

_‘Oh man, what is this, flirting?’_ Ez’s mind began to race. He wouldn’t have minded Jayce flirting with him -- not that he _was_ flirting with him, Ez wasn’t _that_ full of himself -- but it did _really_ feel like Jayce was being more than just buddy buddy with him. “You did amazing too. Thanks for saving my butt so many times back there.”

“It’s the least I could do.” Jayce shrugged. “Say, are you hungry? Lux, Katarina, and a few others were thinking of grabbing a bite.”

“Lux? Say no more. I’m all in.” Ezreal began walking away with a very evident pep in his step. After a second, he stopped and pivoted on his heel. “Wait, where are we going?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any formatting errors, RIP. AO3 is frustrating sometimes when it comes to posting. Also, sorry for the short chapter. If this picks up any pace I'll actually write longer, and better, chapters. I have lots of ideas to be honest.
> 
> Sorry if they're slightly mischaracterized, I've played Ezreal like ONCE and never played Jayce lmfaooo.


	2. Team Chat (Ezreal POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group get together sounds fun, doesn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO BETA READERS BECAUSE ALL MY FRIENDS WHO CAN BETA READ DON'T LIKE LEAGUE LET'S GOOOOOOOO. 
> 
> Enjoy.

“In Lux’s defense, Garen, she screamed ‘Demacia!’ at the top of her lungs. It’s your fault you got incinerated.” Katarina propped her feet on the table where a couple other Battle Academia students were sitting. 

Yasuo looked disgusted by the action but only grunted. “I was coming to your defense. If you had just stayed back, I could have helped.”

“You were taking too long, Yasuo. And how could you expect me to _not_ one-v-one my own sister?”

“When you were already weak? That’s a fool’s death.”

Jayce took a seat next to Garen, leaving space between him and Lux. “If the shoe fits.” He teased. 

Ezreal looked around the table, drink in his hand. Katarina, Lux, Jayce, Garen, and Yasuo were there. There was an open spot next to Yasuo, for Riven, Ez assumed. Jayce tapped the seat between him and Lux. She turned back and waved with a giddy smile on her face. Ezreal tried to keep his cool. -- He never lost his cool, of course, but he has to _look_ cool for Lux. “Hey, fancy meeting you here.” Ezreal greeted and took his seat. 

“I told you she would be here.” Jayce raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to throw Ez off his game. But he wasn’t going to be taken out that easily.

“It’s a saying, you know? Like ‘Only Fools Hesitate’ or ‘Break their ranks!’”

Garen glared at Ez. Katarina stared at him from behind her boots. “So this is how you want to go? Coffee mixed with blood?”

A voice beside Ezreal snickered. “Don’t worry, Katarina. He was kidding.” It was Lux. Lux _defended_ Ezreal’s stupid joke? She really _was_ the best. And her laugh was like a ray of sunshine.

“Don’t let your mouth get you in trouble, Ezreal.” Jayce playfully nudged him. “I can’t be there to protect you all the time, especially not from Katarina.” 

“Do you think I wouldn’t kill you too, Jayce?” Katarina had a devil’s smile.

“With a face like this? Who would?”

Jayce was _also_ defending Ez? Something about that was comforting for him. Not that he couldn’t take care of himself, of course, but a guy as strong and as big and as legendary as Jayce couldn’t be bad to have around as a bodyguard. Ezreal was _really_ feeling the love today.

Katarina clicked her tongue. “Anyway, since when were you two good friends?”

“Who? Lux and I?” Ezreal spoke up.

“No. Your mating dance toward Lux is well known.” Ezreal blushed at that comment. “I was talking about Jayce.” 

Jayce took a sip of his drink then said “Well, I’ve always admired and commended Ezreal’s accomplishments. We simply don’t get to work together often.”

Lux added in. “I guess you two have pretty different skillsets, huh? Makes sense that you two don’t get to talk often.”

“I know, it’s a shame, isn’t it? Jayce isn’t that bad.” Ezreal agreed.

“Not that bad? Is that a compliment? Anyway, I’ve tried to talk to you plenty and you’ve shot me down.” Jayce sets down his drink. “You always say you don’t have time. Or you’re hanging out with Lux. Or you just outright ignore what I’m saying. Or --”

The list went on and, in Jayce’s defense, he wasn’t wrong. It was just that Ez was genuinely terrified of Jayce. Hearing stories about how cocky he can be. He didn’t want to ruin the image of the perfect student council president. He just thought that Jayce’s compliments were backhanded, as well. 

That, and Jayce was, like Lux, _really_ cute and _really_ hard to talk to. Ezreal had just barely gotten used to talking to Lux without messing up. At least Jayce was a guy, so it was easier to play it cool.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Sorry. I get caught up sometimes. Besides, Jayce, you’re a little scary to talk to.”

“Scary?” Jayce looked surprised before turning his eyes to Katarina. “Me?”

“What was that look for?” Katarina put her hand to her pocket, probably ready to pull a knife.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. You know you’re not supposed to keep knives on you, right?”

“You know I’ve been told that 100 times right? I’m not going to stop just because you tell me to.”

Jayce sighed and turned back to Ezreal. “So you think I’m scary?”

Ez was a bit nervous. Sitting between Jayce and Lux and having Jayce prying was definitely not fun. “It’s not that you’re scary. Maybe that was the wrong word. I meant you’re terrifying because you’re so cool. You know? Like Lux!”

Okay, that might not have been the _best_ way to say that. Jayce didn’t react for a second and Ezreal felt for a moment that perhaps he _really_ messed up. Suddenly, Jayce put an arm around Ezreal’s shoulders, laughing. “You need to stop selling yourself so short, Ezreal! Lux and I both think you’re equally as cool as us. Right, Lux?” 

Lux, mirroring Jayce, put her arm around Ez’s shoulders as well. “Right!” Ezreal felt his face steam. 

Yasuo sighed. “We’re all leaves in the wind. And in that, we’re equal.”

“ _You’re_ all equal. Don’t compare the rest of them to me.” Katarina took her feet off the table. “Anyway, I’m out.”

As she walked away, Garen shrugged. “She’s been in a bad mood all day.”

“Apparently, she was dealing with Jinx during the mock battle.” Lux added.

Everyone mouthed ‘Oh,’ mutually agreeing with Katarina’s exhausted behavior. 

As the session wore on, one by one they left. First, it was Yasuo and Riven. Then Garen, claiming he had work to finish.

“I’m heading out as well. Fiora wanted to talk to me after the battle and I _might_ have forgotten.” Lux giggled. “See you two later?” 

Jayce put a hand up, waving. 

“Of course. Goodbye, Lux.” Ezreal smiled.

A few awkward, silent seconds sat between Ezreal and Jayce, now alone.

“Anyway, I think --”

Jayce cut Ezreal off. “Want another drink? It’s on me.” 

Ezreal wanted to reply no. Not that he hated being around Jayce or anything, but because he _hated_ owing people money. However, the way Jayce was looking at Ez was very gentle. His eyes were glimmering with hope and excitement that screamed ‘please stay with me and talk’ and, well, Ez couldn’t say no to that. “Okay, Sure.”

“What were you drinking?”

“Surprise me.”

Jayce hummed, a smile forming on his face. “Don’t regret saying that later.”

As he stood up and walked away Ez felt his cheeks warm. What was he doing? He was in love with Lux, right? Why was Jayce winning his heart over right now? Ez put his head on the table and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. 

“Are you okay?” A hand touched Ez’s back and he lifted his head up. Jayce had set down a drink next to Ezreal’s arm. He looked worried. 

“Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Ezreal grabbed the drink and took a sip. It was a smoothie. Dragon Fruit maybe? Or raspberries? Both? It tasted good, though. He was surprised that Jayce actually drank things like this. “Oh.”

“It’s good, isn’t it? It’s what I normally order.”

“Yeah, it’s really good. I didn’t think you’d like fruity drinks, actually. Seem more like a hard black coffee guy.”

“There’s a lot about me you’d find surprising then.” Jayce chuckled. “But I have to keep up appearances for the rest of the students.”

“Student council prez life?”

“Everybody expects a lot out of me and I deliver.” Jayce sighed. “I know I’m good at all this stuff. But it gets on everyone’s nerves, you know?”

Ezreal hummed. No, he didn’t know, because he wasn’t _Jayce_. Nobody was at Jayce’s level. Not even Katarina. Jayce had a personality on him that got him in trouble a lot with other students, supposedly. Ez had heard rumors that he’s self-centered and doesn’t care about people who are below him in strength or intellect. It was definitely part of the reason Ez was intimidated by Jayce, but now, sitting here alone talking to him, Jayce seemed -- well -- normal. As normal as a ridiculously powerful genius could be.

“Yeah I’ve heard… rumors.”

“They’re true. I know they are.” He takes a second before continuing. “I just can’t help it. My mouth says things before my brain can stop it. Or sometimes I don’t realize what I’m saying is bad.”

“Same here!” Ezreal exclaimed. “Everyone thinks I’m an idiot. But it’s just that my mouth runs at 1000 miles a minute and my brain can’t keep up! I mean -- I’m not stupid but --.”

Jayce laughed. “I don’t think you’re stupid. But you do talk a lot.”

“See! That’s why people get mad. You point out their flaws when they didn’t ask for it.”

Jayce’s smile flatlined. Did Ez say something wrong? He felt his heart sink a little. This was almost as bad as when he accidentally spilled ink all over Lux’s dress. The silence was deafening but before Ez could run his mouth again, Jayce responded. “I’m sorry.”

“No! Don’t apologize! I shouldn’t have said that.” Okay, Jayce should have apologized. But he looked hurt.

“I shouldn’t have said you talk a lot. As I said, I just don’t really think before I speak sometimes. It’s not really on purpose.” Jayce put on a smile that looked fake. “So, sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I guess we have the same problem, huh? We both don’t know how to shut up.” Ezreal snorted, holding back a laugh. “I personally think it’s better that way. I hate quiet. Might as well fill it up with the sound of my voice.”

Jayce appeared to perk up at this. “You must be miserable to work with in study groups.”

“ _Very_ kind of you to think people invite me to study groups.”

“Same here. But I guess I don’t really _need_ a study group.”

“Careful, hot shot, your head might end up carrying you away.” Ezreal teased.

“I’ll just need someone to make sure I don’t fly away then.” Jayce leaned on his fist, elbow to the table. “Someone special.” 

Ezreal’s heart skipped a beat, or two, or three. He’s pretty sure it just stopped beating altogether for a couple seconds. Jayce was flirting, right? This was one-hundred percent flirting. There was no way Jayce wasn’t flirting with him. Jayce, king of Battle Academia, was _flirting_ with Ez. How long had he liked Ez? It wasn’t just today, was it? With Lux, it was love at first sight, and he’s been trying ever since. What if he had just never noticed Jayce trying to get close to him before? Ezreal tried to rummage in his brain other times Jayce had talked to him.

There were actually quite a few instances. Any time Ez did well in a battle, Jayce would come up to him and try to speak to him. Sometimes congratulating him or just to chat casually. He’d invite Ezreal to get food with him and a couple friends afterward and he would reject the offer because _Lux_ was going elsewhere. Sometimes he’d swore he heard Jayce’s voice, but he was too busy trying to chat with Lux. Ezreal also recalled Caitlyn had mentioned one time that Jayce asked to join them in a study group, and Caitlyn rejected the offer, finding it weird.

Oh man, was Ezreal ignoring Jayce this whole time? He could only imagine how he’d feel if Lux would have done that to him. He’d be heartbroken. 

_‘Or am I reading too much into this? Am I overthinking this?_ ’ Ezreal thought to himself. He didn’t want to look _so_ cocky that he really thought the student council president had feelings for him but _what else_ could this be? 

Ezreal just had to play it smooth. “Yeah, I feel that.” _Real smooth._ “I need someone to punch me in the mouth sometimes. Tell me to shut up.”

“That’s why we hang out with Katarina.”

“That’s a dangerous game.”

“We’re dangerous people.” Jayce sat up and shrugged. He obviously wasn’t going through the same thoughts Ez was. He acted like nothing happened. In a way, Ezreal was relieved. 

The topics subsided to normal school discussions. Ezreal was relieved, he couldn’t handle Jayce looking at him like _that_ anymore. After a couple more minutes Jayce stood up. “Well, I should probably get some rest. Going against Sett can wear you out.”

Ezreal stood as well. “Yeah, my back is killing me, you have no idea. That does _not_ feel good.” He stretched, trying to realign his vertebrae. “Thanks for buying.”

“It’s no big deal. See you later?”

Ezreal grinned. “For sure.” 

Ezreal couldn’t help but feel a little troubled. Lux was his everything, but now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to continue this fic. Surprise surprise. Anyway, sorry for any possible mischaracterization. I had to do... so much damn research on these characters lmfao.


	3. Rooted and Stunned (Ezreal POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezreal has too many thoughts and not enough brain cells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. No Beta reader again. I hope y'all enjoy.

_ ‘I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, right? If he likes me that’s on him…’ _ The thoughts of Jayce have been plaguing Ez’s mind for the past week, trying to sort through them. It was a tough job, honestly. Ezreal could hear Katarina saying he had no brain cells so it’s surprising he could think at all. But man, this Jayce business was really racking his head.

His feelings for Jayce were weird, to say the least. Certainly Jayce had some amazing qualities. He was smart, creative, a strong leader, charismatic, and he was attractive to top it all off. The guy was, essentially, perfect.  _ Anyone _ who liked men had feelings for Jayce at least once. But Ezreal didn’t even realize he liked guys before now. He didn’t mind but where did this come from? Why now? He was finally able to talk to Lux without completely stumbling all over himself and now Jayce was flirting with him.

Jayce  _ was _ flirting with him, right? There’s no way he wasn’t. Ez had asked himself this question one thousand times already and every time he analyzed Jayce’s past actions, it all led to Jayce liking him.  _ ‘But don’t get ahead of yourself, Ezreal. Why would someone like  _ Jayce _ have feelings for you? The student council president himself? You can’t even get Lux to notice you beyond simple hellos, why would Jayce want you at all?’ _ The doubts came in every time he tried to understand Jayce’s feelings.

Ez ran his hands through his hair, making a mess of it. “Ugh, come on. Figure this out! I don’t even know what I’m doing!” He groaned as he fell onto his bed. “I feel like an idiot.” He stared at his ceiling. “Okay, what would any  _ reasonable _ person do in this situation? Not that I’m reasonable…” He hummed to himself for a second. “I guess going to someone and asking for help wouldn’t hurt. But who?” His mind went immediately to Lux. “No way.” Just mentioning his problems with Jayce to Lux would feel like he was cheating on her. Not that they were together but… maybe eventually. “Katarina would be mean… Kayn would try to kill me... I wonder if Jinx gives good advice?” The answer was no but he was running out of options.

There was a knock on Ez’s door. “Are you talking to yourself in there? Sure hope you're not answering yourself too.” It was Xayah’s voice. He’d call her professor Xayah but she wasn’t a professor as much as an occasional adjunct who helped with battling. Ezreal had  _ completely _ forgotten he had scheduled training with her. 

“Agh!” He yelped as he quickly upped himself and opened the door. “I forgot!”

“Thanks for wasting my time.” Xayah appeared passive despite her comment. She never did seem to mind much, everything brushed off her shoulder with ease. I guess that comes with being Rakan’s wife though. Ezreal met him once and found out there  _ was _ a time limit he could deal with certain people.

“Sorry I… got wrapped up.”

“You look like a mess. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yep. Totally. Of course. Let’s train.”

“Okay. You’re the last student today, so consider yourself lucky.”

Training was a wreck. An absolute mess of health pots and constant bombardment of extremely sharp feathers. Xayah  _ never _ held back no matter the student but he had  _ a lot _ on his mind and trying to dodge daggers flying at you at 100 miles per hour was  _ not _ helping. 

Through heavy breaths, Ezreal spoke. “Okay… That’s enough for today. I can’t aim straight anymore.”

“You couldn’t aim straight the whole time.”

“Gee, thanks Xayah.”

She only shrugged. After giving him a couple of seconds to cool off, she continued. “You were distracted.”

“Yeah. I know. If it was that obvious, why didn’t you go easy on me?”

Another shrug. “What’s on your mind?”

“Why would you care?” He didn’t mean to be accusatory, but Xayah really never asked any of the students about, well,  _ anything _ . 

“I don’t. But normally I have to actually try when we spar. I hardly broke a sweat.”

So it  _ was _ about her. “It’s stupid.”

“Probably, but talking it out with someone can help.” Xayah’s normally stoic face held a glimmer of kindness and a slight smile. “I’m open to listen, at least. Might not be much help though.”

“It’s just… about love.” 

“Oh, gross.”

“Exactly!” Ezreal threw his hands up in annoyance. “It’s so gross and stupid.” 

“So you’re stressed about Lux?”

“Wha-- Lux?! What makes you think it’s about Lux?” 

“Who else would it be?”

“... Have you ever liked two people at the same time?”

“Nope.”

Why did Ezreal feel like this was  _ already _ a dead end? “Well, it’s annoying.”

“So it’s Lux and…?”

“Is it seriously that obvious?” 

“Your crush on her? Absolutely.”

“Ugh…” Ezreal rubbed his face in frustration. “Okay well, the other person is someone who is really cool and it’s just… I don’t know if I actually like them? They’re really cool and amazing in every way so there’s no reason why they would like me. But… I can’t explain why they would act like they do toward me otherwise.” He found himself pacing trying to put into words how he had been feeling. “Half of me is saying they like me. Half of me is saying there’s  _ no way _ they would like someone like me. Then there’s a  _ third _ half --”

“You can’t have three halves.”

“You know what I mean! Anyway, the third half is do I like them back? Or is it just because they like  _ me? _ I haven’t stopped thinking about it all week.”

“Uh-huh… That sounds like a pain in the ass.”

“I want to pull my hair out.”

“Why do you doubt your feelings for them? It sounds like you at least enjoy the person in question.”

“I do! They’re really really amazing. But I’ve never liked someone like this.”

“Woah, not even Lux?”

“It’s different.”

Xayah raised an eyebrow, expecting an explanation. 

“It’s a guy.”

“Ah.”

“I’ve never  _ liked _ guys before. So this would be a new development if I do like him.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Well… no.”

“Then why does it matter? You might just like the guy.”

“But Lux…”

“Ezreal,” She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, “you know you can like two people at the same time, right?”

“But it feels like I’m cheating on Lux!”

“That’s stupid.”

“I  _ said _ that!”

She sighed. “I can’t exactly help you with your own feelings. That’s something you need to work out on your own. It sounds like you know what the problems are, though. That’s good.” She turned around to head back. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I’m sure talking it through might have helped, though. Have a good night.” She waved and began walking away.

“Thanks, Xayah.” Ez felt defeated. Both physically and mentally. 

During a shower, he began thinking again. About everything. About Lux. About Jayce. About how  _ stupid _ it was. Even Xayah agreed so maybe he shouldn’t even worry about it. But hearing himself speak he realized the biggest problem right now was just figuring out whether Jayce liked him or not. “Huh… maybe talking to Xayah did help…”

Who could he talk to about that though? The easiest way is just to ask Jayce directly. But what if he was misreading him? Ez could never show his face in school ever again. They would all think he was an idiot. Who else would work though?

A memory of a previous conversation with Jayce came to his head.

“Sett!” It took three days to finally pin him down. He had the habit of disappearing randomly after school so Ezreal hadn’t been able to talk to him until now. “Oh thank goodness I finally tracked you down.”

“Whatcha want? I got somewhere I gotta be.” He was just as threatening normally as he was during fights.

“I need to ask you something.” Ezreal swallowed his fear because the menacing glare that Sett rained down at him made him want to shrink.

“Can’t it wait?”

“No.” Well, yes. But it was too late now. 

He huffed and relaxed his stance, crossing his arms as he did so. “What is it?”

“The question is going to sound stupid, okay? I don’t want you to get mad.”

“I’m gonna get more mad if you don’t just spit it out.”

“Okay! Okay. So…uh... Howdoyouknowifaguylikesyou?” Ezreal squeaked out the question as fast as he could.

“Can you speak like a normal person and not a squirrel?” 

Ezreal took a deep breath. “How can you tell if a guy likes you?”

“Huh?” A smirk slathered Sett’s face. It quickly grew into a chuckle. And then a full on laugh. “That’s your question?! You’re coming to me for  _ that _ ?! What possessed you to do that?!”

“Well… I know you and Aphelios are… a thing. So I thought you might have known…”

“Uh-huh… So ya thought I could help you just ‘cause I’m datin’ a guy?”

“... Okay when you say it like that it sounds  _ really _ presumptuous.” 

“Yep.” He tapped his foot a couple times, trying to decide what to say next. “Whatever. Some guy likes ya and you don’t know what to do about it?”

“Something like that. I don’t know if he likes me or if he’s just being nice.”

“You could challenge him to a duel and see his response. If he says no he likes you.”

“I think he’d say yes either way.”

Sett snickered. “I like this guy. Sounds like he’s got guts.”

Ezreal was beginning to feel like this was a waste of time. He should have expected that. “Any other advice?”

“Honestly, Aphelios told me I was too nice to him before we got together. Like, nicer to him than any other mug here. I denied it but whatever. So I guess if a guy is a little too nice to you that could count. Kinda like you with Lux.”

“Can everyone stop bringing up Lux?”

“Normally you bring her up. Surprised you haven’t.”

Ezreal glared at Sett. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Hey, nobody ever comes to me with love problems. I ain’t exactly the type, yanno?”

“So you’re saying if the guy is  _ too _ nice to me? What if he’s normally nice?”

“Then you’re shit outta luck. Can’t help ya.”

“Gee thanks. Glad you could --”

“Ezreal?” A voice called behind Ez. He turned back to see Jayce waving him down. 

“Since that’s the prez. I’m outta here. Good luck.” Sett went on his way quickly, not waiting for him to say goodbye.

Jayce came up to Ezreal, smiling. “I didn’t know you were friends with Sett.”

“I’m not.” So many thoughts shooting through Ezreal’s head now. Jayce was now  _ right here _ . He didn’t hear anything, right? No, there was no way he heard  _ anything _ he was way too far away.  _ Unless _ he was close then snuck further away just to look like he recently saw Ez. “Ezreal, shut up.” he mumbled.

“Huh?” Jayce furrowed his brows. “What did you say?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all.” Ezreal felt his heart racing. He was panicking. Maybe Sett  _ was _ right. Jayce  _ was _ being suspiciously too nice to him in the past. How did he  _ just now _ notice?! “Anyway, I was actually just about to head to my dorm to study, so…” he chucked awkwardly.

Jayce frowned. “Ez, wait.” As he was turning, Jayce put a hand on Ezreal’s shoulder. It was a gentle touch and it made Ezreal’s entire skin flare. He  _ knew _ he was blushing and he hated every second of it. If it was noticeable, Jayce wasn’t saying anything. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh?” Ezreal looked surprised. Of course Jayce did nothing wrong. Why would he think that? 

“Well, you’ve been ignoring me for over a week now. I thought maybe…” Jayce rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe I did something wrong?”

“No! You did nothing wrong! Nothing at all actually!” Ezreal had to fix this,  _ quick _ . “I was just -- thinking. And worried.”

“About what?” Jayce looked nervous and hurt. Had Ez really been ignoring him? He didn’t mean to. It was just that any time Jayce talked to him, or looked at him, or existed in the same room as him, Ezreal’s mind freaked out and he had to go. 

Okay, maybe he had been ignoring Jayce. Oops. “Just… things. And stuff. Nothing you gotta worry about!”

“If it’s that serious, I could help. Is it school work? I can help you study or --”

“No it isn’t that. Please don’t worry about it. Or about me. I’m doing fine. Everythings fine.” The panic wouldn’t leave Ezreal’s head. He could feel thousands of questions lining up in his head. Did Jayce like him? If Sett’s right, then he’s been acting  _ very _ nice to Ez, so that would be a yes. Did Ezreal like Jayce? If Ez’s heart is right, the answer is a definitive: yes.

“Something is obviously wrong. I’m not stupid Ez.”

“I’m not calling you stupid!  _ I’m _ the stupid one!”

“Why are you the stupid one?”

“Because I -- well -- look can I ask you something?”

“... What is it?”

Ezreal had so many thoughts on his mind.

Will you go out with me?

Will you kiss me?

Will you hold my hand?

Will you hug me?

Will you just be honest with me?

And the words that came out of his mouth?

“Will you duel with me?”

Ezreal was the biggest idiot in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to include Xayah somewhere. I love her so MUCH.
> 
> Also NOBODY TOLD ME I had been spelling Jinx wrong until I typoed it toward a friend and he was like "That's not how you spell that." I'm a genius.


	4. Dive (Jayce POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight between Jayce and Ezreal, all the while Jayce is trying to figure out how to get Ezreal to feel the same way for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is... literally half the length of the first 3 chapters lol. I couldn't find a good stopping place. Anyway, once again no beta. Enjoy!

He looked _so_ nervous. Ezreal was always an easy person to read, Jayce felt. While Ezreal was a very loud and boisterous person, he wasn’t one of those people who hid all his emotions behind a mask of masculinity. Something about that was so _beautiful_ to Jayce. Perhaps somewhere in this crush was some sort of sick jealousy. Jealous because Jayce could never be as free and open as Ezreal. Jealous because Jayce had been brought down by the stress of proving himself to everyone’s prying eyes. He was always under scrutiny. To him, Ezreal had the amnesty to do whatever he wanted. That was just who Ezreal was. Everyone else just had to accept it. That was so wondrous. So lovely. So _perfect_ because it was so _imperfect_. 

And now Ezreal was here. Sweating. Face red. He looked so lost. So confused. Something pinged in his heart. He wanted to help. He wanted to make sure Ezreal was always safe and happy. In his head, he could recall during the last randomized match they had where Sett had almost taken down Ezreal in one full-body swoop. Jayce was about ready to take his hammer and knock him out of the arena. Then there was the way Sett looked back at Jayce. He knew what he was doing. He knew how Jayce felt. Jayce felt it again, this overwhelming urge to _save_ Ezreal. He could see Ezreal trying to find the phrases he wanted to say so he tried to aid Ezreal to no avail.

Jayce was shocked at the words that came out of Ezreal’s mouth. 

“Will you duel with me?”

He was expecting one of many outcomes, as Jayce always considered any outcome milliseconds before the conversation took place. But this was not one of the possible paths he expected would take place. Somewhere in his heart, he felt a sting. Disappointment. He didn’t like that. “Excuse me?” 

“Oh! Uh -- Forget it, actually.” Ezreal backed down quickly. Why was he being so regretful? Was he insecure about his ability to fight?

“No, it’s okay. If you want to spar I’m free. “

“Huh?”

“Well, you must feel bad after Sett took you out so often during our last match, right? It might be easier if you go against someone who was close range.” And, in Jayce’s eyes, someone who wouldn’t try to knock out a couple teeth for fun. 

“Oh.”

“Did you ask Sett already? If he already said yes, I’d say I’m probably a better matchup for you.” Jayce tried to put on a reassuring smile. Something he tried to do any time he felt like he was going to be rude. “Sett will just kick your butt again.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ezreal’s face didn’t change, but Jayce felt bad nonetheless. Something about that response struck Jayce.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” He tried to reassure Ezreal. Suddenly all the worries that had plagued him about Ezreal came back to his head. Did Ezreal hate him? Or was he being too flirtatious? Did he even know what Jayce was doing? 

Why had Ezreal been avoiding him?

Well, now wasn’t the time for any of that, Jayce concluded. It was more important to focus on the here and now, as well as the future. “Anyway, if you want to spar I’m free in a couple hours. I promised Garen I would speak to Lux about some of her grades recently.” Curses, he shouldn’t have even mentioned Lux around Ezreal. 

“Huh? Can’t he do it himself?”

“Lux won’t listen to him. But she _will_ listen to the student council president.” Jayce felt a little sense of pride in that. 

“That makes sense, I guess.” Ezreal shrugged. It looked like he was trying to keep himself calm. It wasn’t working.

“So how about 2 hours from now? In the mock Howling Abyss? I don’t think anyone is using it today.” 

“Sure. That works. Totally. Yep.” Ezreal trailed off before turning around, a weak wave as he began walking. “I’ll see you then.”

Jayce smiled, not bothering to wave at Ezreal’s back. He looked so shaken, so small. Jayce so desperately wanted to hug him from behind and ask what was wrong. Ask if there was a way to make him feel better. Everything a lover would do. He clutched at his heart. These thoughts were becoming too much for him. The more he talks to Ezreal, the worse it gets.

It was so easy originally. Ez was so focused on Lux, Jayce never had to worry about trying. He focused on student council duties, training, and creating new inventions. Even when Jayce tried to shoot his shot with Ezreal, he was ignored. He didn’t think Ezreal meant to do it. Maybe Ezreal couldn’t believe someone like Jayce would talk to him.

But Jayce would give anything to talk to Ezreal. He had always been so infatuated with the entire idea of Ezreal; His beautiful blond hair, the confident pep in his walk, the perpetual smile. He was attractive inside and out. He felt completely untouchable to someone like Jayce. However, it now feels like he’s so close. _Too_ close. Everything could come crashing down if Jayce said the wrong thing. Given his track record with people, he could say the wrong thing at any moment. This thought made his heart race. He wished he could go back to Ezreal ignoring him. He didn’t want to mess this up. He could always watch from afar, that would have been better.

But it was too late for that now. Jayce wasn’t one to dwell on the past. He shook off the feelings plaguing his mind and went to meet with Lux. 

“Crownguard.”

“Jayce! It’s so lovely to see you! What is it?”

“I’ve been told to keep an eye on your grades.”

“Is this about history class? I _promise_ I’ll do better. I’ve just been busy with other work!”

“If the class is giving you trouble, we have tutors to provide help.” Jayce crossed his arms, trying to keep stern but in the back of his head, all he wanted to do was ask Lux about Ezreal. They were close. She had to have some knowledge.

“I know! I’ll go if I struggle more. Wait a second, did _Garen_ send you?” She gave an accusatory leer.

Jayce feigned apathy, shrugging. “You’re very important. I was told as the student council president by _multiple_ people to keep an eye on you. I’ve been pretty laissez-faire. But your scores are looking troubling now.”

“I’ll pick them back up, I promise!” The glee that shined from Lux was always awe-inspiring to Jayce. She was able to brighten a whole room with a smile. Jayce couldn’t even imagine being similar. When he walked into a room, people stared at him with _expectations_ and a stern aura of ‘prove to me you're worth it.’ Jayce and her were so different, it’s no wonder Ezreal ignored him. 

“Alright, but just know we’re all here to aid you.”

She put up a fighting stance, as if she was ready to tackle history physically.“Yeah, I know! I’ve got this!” She waited a moment before adding, “is that all you needed?”

“Yes.” Jayce answered mindlessly. It was such a simple answer and it was _usually_ the right answer. It _should_ have been the right answer. As Lux turned around, however, Jayce called for her again. “Actually, Luxanna…”

“Hm?” She turned back to face him, bright eyed and smiling.

“I want to ask you something a little less serious.”

“What’s up?”

Jayce let out a sigh. Finding the words was the easy part. Putting them into a question that was logical? Now _that_ was a difficult task. “Are you with Ezreal?”

It wasn’t the perfect question, but it was important. It had to be asked. If the answer was yes, then Jayce had nothing else to ask. He could leave his feelings for Ezreal on the table and ignore them forever. 

She appeared surprised for a second before laughing. “No! But goodness, he does like me a lot, doesn’t he?”

So even _she_ knew. “Do you like him?” He wanted to keep prying. He had to.

“As a friend, of course.”

“But no more?”

“No.” She was being reassuring. Could she see how he was feeling? He tried to remain stony face. “He’s a good friend, but that’s it. I feel bad for him but… My heart lies on another horizon.”

Jayce didn’t entirely understand what that meant but he didn’t care. That wasn’t the important part. “I see.”

“Can I ask _you_ something, Jayce?”

He already knew what was coming. He could feel it. Lux was extremely perceptive. He could see it when they all went to get drinks together a while ago. She knew. “Sure.”

“Do you like Ez?”

There it was. Jayce wasn’t one to lie, though. “I do. I just don’t think he likes me back.” He thought it might have been better to let it all out, so he continued. “I was hoping if you two were together, I could just let it go.”

“But now you can’t.”

“There’s no guarantee he likes me back.”

Lux hummed. “You’re right. _But_ don’t give up hope just yet!” The pep in her step lifted up Jayce’s heart. “If you ask me, I think he likes you too! I mean, you two stayed late after I left, right?”

Jayce nodded.

“I really do think he likes you. You know he never officially confessed to me?”

“But everyone knows.”

“Yeah but he’s _really_ good at beating around the bush and letting his emotions get in the way of what he wants to say.”

Jayce stroked his chin. “So what you’re telling me is…”

“You might need to make the first move.” She winked.

Making the first move made sense. Ezreal was spontaneous and full of energy like a weapon that relied on lightning to work. You never knew exactly where the lightning would go unless you guided it. Jayce just needed to find the right time to move. 

He began making plans as he walked over to the Howling Abyss. The fantasies filled his head. Just how difficult would it be to get Ezreal to understand? Just how forward did he have to be? All were perfectly valid questions that needed to be answered before he could do anything. He had to clear his mind before the sparring session, though. He didn’t want to be distracted if he was helping Ezreal out.

Ezreal was already there, plucking at his gloves, his hair tied back, entirely ready to fight. He looked up and flinched before settling on a smile. “You made it.”

“You’re early. Did I keep you waiting?”

“No, you’re right on time. Thanks for -- uh -- helping me with this.”

“Anytime.” He wanted to say ‘anything for you’ but he had to be careful. This is the most Ezreal had talked to him in days. “Anyone in there?”

“All ours.”

Jayce smiled and walked past Ezreal, putting a firm hand on Ezreal’s shoulder. “I’m not going easy on you, by the way. So prepare yourself.” He didn’t bother waiting for Ez’s reaction before walking into the ring.

He chose the far end of the bridge. The sides were mostly similar so it didn’t matter, but Jayce didn’t mind the trek. As he got his gear ready from the shop, he hummed. They had already agreed on no starter items and instead focused on having one full item. Jayce chose a black cleaver. Before standing next to the area where the front turret would normally be. As it was a physical spar, the whole arena wasn’t set up. It was just him, Ezreal, and the air between them.

“On the count of three?” Ezreal seemed more collected now. Eager to fight. That confidence was overwhelming and almost intoxicating.

“You count down.”

“You’re gonna regret it. Three… Two… One… Go!”

On go, Ezreal’s magic kicked in and he appeared a few feet from Jayce. A yellow ring instantaneously surrounded Jayce. He knew what was next. This was about to hurt. A lot.

 _Pshew!_ And the shot hit Jayce directly before he could dodge. He fell back a couple paces but remained on his feet. “Good shot.” 

Ezreal shrugged. “Gotta keep up, Jayce!” A playful grin was on his face and Jayce wanted nothing more than to kiss it. He shook the thought and began running toward Ezreal. 

“Don’t let down your guard just because you got a good hit in!” Jayce slammed his hammer into the ground as Ezreal hopped away. As spritely as he was, Jayce felt it graze. He looked up to see Ez wince at a bruise that was already forming on his forearm. He didn’t let the pain get to him, though, as he prepared another shot.

That wouldn’t happen again. Jayce shifted his movement to fool Ezreal. He aimed too far to the left, giving Jayce the opening. This time, the hammer connected perfectly into Ez’s chest, sending him flying backwards. His back slammed into the ground and somersaulted back onto his feet. “Oof, good shot.”

Jayce let out an amused huff before changing his hammer into a cannon. “Sorry about this, Ez.”

“Not a chance!” In quick succession Jayce saw flashes of yellow and blue. He was immediately knocked onto his back, burning magical energy seering into his chest.

“Ugh.” He couldn’t get hit by another one of those again. He heard rushed footsteps toward him. He knew Ezreal was trying to get the upper hand and Jayce simply couldn’t allow that. He may have had feelings for Ezreal, but he couldn’t lose. He quickly sat up and threw out a lighting field. 

Ezreal jumped back. “Good one.” 

Jayce stood up, dusting off his pants. “Same can be said for you.” He smiled and watched as Ezreal stared in awe. Maybe Ezreal really did like him. Jayce wasn’t too sure, but it felt real. 

The match continued. They traded hits back and forth for what felt like only a couple minutes. But soon enough, 2 hours had passed. The final standoff led both of them to kneel onto the ground.

“Alright, you got me Jayce. I give up.”

“You put up a good fight, though.” 

Both were covered in sweat and bruises. Both were absolutely exhausted. Jayce hadn’t expected Ezreal to put up such a good fight but damn, when Ez put his mind to it, he was _insanely_ talented. 

Ez rasped out a breathy laugh. “I feel like I hardly got a dent in you.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve never seen someone fight as well as you. Except maybe Katarina.” He had to be honest. He couldn’t just stop with that compliment.

“Haha yeah, well, that’s Katarina. She’s scary all around.” Ezreal sat down, finally catching his breath. “You’re really, really tough, though.”

“I’m not student council president for nothing.” Jayce shrugged and sat next to Ezreal. 

“Man, that was fun. I had so much on my mind and I feel like I got it all out there.” 

Jayce felt the same way. So much was on his mind and it was _all_ Ezreal. “I feel the same.”

Ez turned to Jayce, puzzled. “You? Really? You always seem calm and collected.”

“It’s all a farce.” Jayce winked. 

“So uh,” Ezreal turned his eyes to the ground and began nervously picking at the grass. “What’s been on your mind?”

‘You’ is what Jayce wanted to say. But this wasn’t the time. This wasn’t the place. “Just… a lot of stuff. I’m trying to figure things out.”

Ezreal chuckled nervously. “Same here. I feel like a total confused mess lately.”

“Mhm. I’ve been feeling the same way.” Jayce agreed.

“Really? Huh… I always felt like you were so infallible.”

“I’m still a person.” Jayce tried to smile. He was supposed to be perfect. He was supposed to be excellent at everything. The ideal man. The ideal student. The ideal inventor. A paragon of humanity. But he still made mistakes. He still felt anger, sadness, and even love. Right now, love was coursing through his veins. His love for fighting, for helping others, and especially for Ezreal. Hardly a foot away from him. Sweating and beat up, but still beautiful and imperfect and everything Jayce wished he could have.

“Yeah, I guess you are, huh? I mean, you’re not a god.” Ezreal fixed his ponytail as if it were a nervous tick. “But you are really amazing. Seriously.” Jayce didn’t say anything but hum a small laugh. He heard that before. He’s heard it so many times from so many people. But it felt so good and so _real_ when Ezreal said it.

“You always felt so… unattainable to me. Like a book character or something, you know?” Ezreal continued. Jayce wondered just how bad he hated silence. “You were unbeatable. A genius. But here I am, talking to you, sparring on equal ground. It’s crazy.” Ezreal giggled. “You’re really real. And really kind, no matter what anyone says. Any time you say anything mean it’s never with bad intention, I don’t think. You’re just being honest. I like that a lot too.”

All these compliments at once sounded so forced. Ezreal was trying to figure out what to say, Jayce thought. He was talking in circles. “Why have you been ignoring me?”

Ezreal moaned. “I wasn’t _trying_ to.” 

“But you did.” The worries lumped in Jayce’s throat. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No. You didn’t I did. I did something wrong. Really wrong.”

Jayce was confused and wanted to go on and explain how he had possibly messed this up, but Ezreal was already speaking at lightning speed again.

“I was avoiding you because I’m… confused. About a lot of things. I don’t know. I’m not smart. Well I’m smart but not about _this_ stuff you know? I just --”

“Ez.” Jayce intervened.

“Huh? Oh right I’m rambling.”

“And beating around the bush.” Lux was right, he _did_ love to beat around the bush.

“It’s just embarrassing.”

“I won’t make fun of you.”

Ezreal took a deep breath. “I know. I know you wouldn’t. I just don’t know what I’m confused about. Today I… asked you to spar with me because I didn’t know what to say. I just…”

“You just..?”

“I wanted to hang out with you more.” 

Jayce felt his heart soar. Ezreal had to like him. There was no doubt about it in his mind. It would have been so easy to lean over and kiss him. It would be so easy. But he had to wait. He could hold on for as long as necessary. He didn’t want to mess this up. He messed up everything else when it came to people. He was going to get this right. “I think there’s easier ways to hang out besides fighting.”

Ezreal rolled his eyes. “Well _yeah_. You’re right. I was talking to Sett and I guess my brain went to dueling since that’s all he talks about.” 

Jayce grinned. “Yeah, that sounds like him…” It was completely silent between them for a moment. Jayce wanted to pick out the right words to make sure Ezreal didn’t get the wrong idea but it was hard. He couldn’t stop staring at Ezreal’s face. He would glance over at Jayce then look away. He was desperately trying to find anywhere else to look. His eyes kept wandering back. Jayce could look at him for hours without getting bored. 

“So…” Ezreal trailed, once again proving he couldn’t stand silence.

“What are you up to tomorrow?”

“Oh, I have practice with Xayah.”

“Okay. How about after that? We could get dinner and I could tell you what you did wrong today.” Jayce wanted to punch himself. He was basically asking Ezreal on a date and _had_ to include a _criticism_ at the same time? He was an idiot.

Ezreal took it in stride, though. “That sounds great. Tomorrow at 7 work for you? That’ll give me time to clean up after getting my butt handed to me.”

Jayce laughed. “Works for me. 7 it is. I’ll meet you at the gates.”

He couldn’t believe it was _actually_ going to happen. He was going to go to dinner with Ezreal. Maybe for once Jayce wouldn’t screw up a social relationship. This time things would be different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a couple thoughts and comments from friends I thought I'd actually include some Jayce chapters! There's so many questions that can only be answered in his POV.


	5. Push (Jayce POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanging out with Ezreal seemed easy enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! New chapter! It's also longer than the first 3 chapters. Anyway, enjoy! Another Dialogue heavy chapter. Sorry.

7 PM. All Jayce had to do was wait until 7 PM. The feat sounded so simple. Despite the simplicity, Jayce had the habit, at times, to overthink the easiest tasks. At this point, all Jayce could think of was how he was going to handle going on a _date_ with Ezreal. _The_ Ezreal. He had been trying for months and now it was becoming a reality.

No. He shouldn’t think like that. This isn’t a date. They’re just friends. Friends hang out sometimes. Friends chat about their day and get food together and absolutely nothing is romantic about that. It’s purely platonic like the relationship between him and Ez. Strictly so. 

He had to think through it as thoroughly as possible. It was evident, in Jayce’s mind, that Ezreal had feelings for him. Or at the least, they were growing. These feelings must have been new. Lux was Ezreal’s crush for so long that this probably wasn’t easy on him. It would explain how confused and nervous he was acting. Jayce wished he could aid Ez in some way. Something to make him feel better. A pat on the back. A shoulder touch. A hug. Anything. He wanted Ezreal to be confident with Jayce. That wasn’t like Ezreal, though. Ezreal struggled with his feelings for Lux and because of that caused an awkward rift between them. Lux, as far as Jayce knew, wasn’t worried about it at all. She still treated him as a friend. Ez, however, appeared to freak out or over-exaggerate how he was when he was with Lux.

Jayce didn’t want him to think he had to do the same this time. Ezreal should be happy. He should be comfortable. Jayce wanted to provide that for him.

The thoughts pummeled Jayce endlessly throughout the day. Any time he tried to focus it was lost immediately by recurring fear. For some time, he would be excited and then do a 180 and loath the idea entirely. Jayce was never good with people, this he knew. His mouth and head always got the better of him. He was smarter than most, stronger than most, and generally just more highly esteemed. It’s not like he meant to let it get to his head, it just so happened to turn out that way. The way everyone praised him, calling him a genius, or talking about how capable he was, must have meant it was true. He wanted to live up to that name. But when countless people got to know him, they began hating him. They hated how he acted. He didn’t feel like he was acting any worse than anyone else. Criticism wasn’t a bad thing. They were necessary for someone to get better. Why would you be mad about that? Sure, Jayce might have gotten a little aggressive when people questioned his experiments, but it was only because he had full faith in what he was creating. He didn’t want this sort of aggression, or any diminishing feelings, from Ezreal. He wanted Ez to see the best parts of him. The parts that made him likeable and interesting. How could he overcome the problem he had with everyone else, though? It’s been the same every time, why would it change now?

It had to change. For Jayce’s sake. For Ezreal’s sake. He wanted this to work. 

7PM came too fast. Or was it too slow? Jayce had lost the ability to tell time. He was about 15 minutes early and, despite visibly feigning calmness, was psychologically shaken with nerves he couldn’t push aside. Stricken with the need to do something with his hands, he began working on a small capacitor for an upgraded version of his canon he had been building. It wasn’t much, and he didn’t keep the tools on him to mess with it, but maybe just looking and toying with it would provide him some ideas and respite from what was going on in his head. His violently reverberating nerves soon began to subside, subdued by thoughts of what to do next with his weapons. The wirings, the mechanics, the speed at which the weapon can change. There was so much he could alter if he did the right thing. Battling could become so much easier and he could be so much stronger if he could alter these things. 

“Hello? Earth to Jayce?” A voice brought Jayce back to reality. It was Ezreal waving his hand in front of Jayce’s face. “Yoohoo. You there?”

“Oh!” Jayce exclaimed. “Sorry. I was thinking of some new gear to make for my weapons.” He put the capacitor in his pocket. 

Ezreal laughed. “Man, you looked so angry staring at that thing I wasn’t sure what was going on. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Not at all. I was only here for about 15 minutes.” Jayce spoke before he could censor himself. 

Ezreal winced and breathed sharply. “My bad. Xayah’s lesson went longer than I expected.” 

“Oh no!” Jayce tried to smooth it out. “It’s not your fault at all. I finished everything early so I decided to get some fresh air anyway.” 

“Yeah I had to pretty much run here to be on time and I was _still_ late. Sorry about that.” 

Curious, Jayce looked at his watch. It was a couple minutes late, but nothing to be worried about. He waved Ezreal off. “It’s nothing. You were hardly what I would consider late.” 

Ezreal let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I figured you’d be mad and scold me for my tardiness, Mr. Student Council Prez.”

“If you make repeated offenses, maybe I will.” Jayce didn’t mean for that to sound as flirty as it was. _‘Why can’t you think before you speak, Jayce?’_ he thought to himself. He was hoping Ezreal didn’t take it the wrong way.

Ezreal’s face was slightly pink.

He definitely took it the wrong way. Jayce had to fix this, quick.

“Regardless, do you like sushi?” Jayce pivoted the subject faster than he could switch weapons.

“Sure! I’m up for anything after the beating I took today.” Ezreal rubbed the back of his neck. “Xayah doesn’t know how to go easy on -- well -- anyone…”

Jayce began walking. There was a sushi place not terribly far from the battle academia itself. “So, why are you practicing with Xayah, anyway?” He was genuinely curious. After all, people only train with Xayah if they feel like they need _a lot_ of work.

“Well… I just need extra practice. And what better way than with someone who could kick my ass in seconds if she decided to?” Ezreal laughed. “I mean, and not kill me. Because Katarina fits that bill too.”

“Katarina also wouldn’t hold back. It might be good for you.”

“Jayce, she would _kill_ me if I gave her the option.”

“An important lesson would be learned, then.” Jayce teased.

“The lesson learned would be what happens after we die! Jayce!” Ezreal’s voice peaked. But Jayce just laughed. He was so cute when he freaked out like this. Jayce knew Ezreal was exaggerating for effect, but it was so charming. Ezreal swiftly turned his face toward the road they were walking. “Anyway, Katarina said no anyway.”

“So you _did_ ask her?”

“When you lose three times in a row, you’ll take what you can get.”

Jayce chuckled. “I guess.” He loved this. Casually talking to Ezreal. Feeling like the world was as light as a feather. There was something so easy about this. Jayce was actually doing well for once. Ezreal didn’t hate him yet.

“So you like sushi, huh?” Jayce looked at Ezreal, who spoke as he was staring at the ground. It was like he was counting the bricks, he was so focused.

“Yeah. It’s a nice change of pace and really refreshing after training, so I thought you’d like it.”

“Huh, Never thought of it that way.” 

“It’s also usually quiet there. So it’ll be easier to talk to each other.”

Ezreal cleared his throat. “Yeah. For sure. Anyway, how was your day?”

Nerve racking. Stressful. A headache. These were all answers Jayce wanted to use. But he didn’t want Ezreal to worry. “Boring. Class is too easy, honestly.” 

“Humble brag.” Ezreal snickered. 

Jayce felt his heart skip a little in fear. Did he _already_ mess this up? This wouldn’t be the first time someone said this to him. He was only being honest. Class _was_ too easy. He had to explain himself. “I’m being forthright. Is there something wrong with that?” He didn’t mean to be accusatory. This was already becoming a slippery slope, Jayce felt.

“Nah, I appreciate the honesty.” Ezreal shrugged. “Better than acting like everything is fine when everything is awful.” Ezreal mimicked a laugh. “Not that I ever do that or anything. Nope. Never. Couldn’t even imagine.”

Did Ezreal really not mind? “There’s nothing wrong with keeping composure when things get rough.” Jayce reassured. “It keeps you level headed and you’ll always fight better if you’re more confident.”

“Huh, doesn’t seem to help me much.” Ezreal grumbled.

“Well imagine how much worse you’d be if you didn’t.”

“Oh man, so I could be _even worse_ than I am now?”

Jayce put a hand on Ezreal’s shoulder. He shouldn’t have, honestly. The gesture itself was platonic enough, but Jayce could feel the warmth of Ezreal’s skin seeping from his clothes and Jayce wished for more. “I think you’re an amazing fighter, Ezreal.” He gave a reassuring grin.

Ezreal glanced for a moment before turning his face away. “You don’t have to lie, you know..”

“I wouldn’t lie, Ezreal.” This was a side that Jayce didn’t know. He was aware Ezreal was self conscious of his fighting ability, but he never let that get to him before now. 

“You _really_ think I’m good at battling after what happened over a week ago?” 

“You were playing in a role you’re not used to. Just as I was.” Jayce sighed. “You were laning with someone you had hardly talked to before, as well. Same with me. Things were already going to be tough for us. Neither of us were on our A-game.”

“Maybe so… but…”

“Listen, Ezreal. Having one bad match isn’t enough to think you’re bad. You’re still one of the top people at our school.”

“But you and Katarina make it seem so easy.”

“I struggle too. And I’m sure she does as well. I might not make a show of it, but every day I think ‘this is the day everything goes wrong for me.’ And every day I try my damnedest to make sure that doesn’t happen. I still struggle with school work sometimes. Sometimes sparring sessions go completely awry and I get B’s or C’s. I’m not perfect. Nobody is.” Jayce let himself go completely. It felt like one deep sigh that let out a stream of consciousness. It was true, though. There were bumps in the road for him. For everyone. “And if you ask me, Ez. I think you’re amazing. In every way. At every turn at this school you surprise me more and more. You’re better than Katarina and I could ever be.”

Ezreal looked toward Jayce, eyes wide and face red. Jayce could feel his heart racing 100 miles per hour. “You’re--” before he could finish what he was saying he ran into someone. “Oof! Sorry! Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The person seemed disgruntled but just kept walking, waving off Ezreal. “Well… that was embarrassing.”

Jayce was curious to what Ezreal was going to say but he didn’t want to push the subject any further. “Maybe we should keep an eye on the road, there’s more foot traffic here.”

“Aye-aye, captain.” Ezreal rolled his eyes. 

The sushi place was pretty dead. Its peak hours seemed to be right before 5PM so going in later definitely meant less people for Jayce and Ezreal to talk over. It was quaint and really well maintained and Jayce loved that about it. After ordering they sat down, to continue conversation. Nothing was particularly to be noted by Jayce, honestly. Simple small talk. That was until Ezreal brought up his sparring with Xayah.

“She’s just so FAST you know? And if you don’t look behind you -- WHOOMP -- there’s an arrow right in your shoulder blade. It sucks!”

“Well…” Jayce had spent the entire time listening and reacting tamely. Trying not to say anything that could be abrasive or mean. But he couldn’t stop himself anymore. He wanted to give advice. “You need to keep an eye on where she throws the daggers, calculate the trajectory, and move accordingly.”

“Right, of course. Let me just do trigonometry in my head real quick.” Ezreal’s quip was brimming with sarcasm and exhaustion. It might have been the wrong move on Jayce’s part, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“It’s not that difficult. Just remember where she threw the daggers and move to the left or right of them. When she pulls them back, they won’t hit you.” 

“In the heat of the battle that’s a bit difficult to do.”

“That’s why you need to keep a level head.” 

“Easier said than done.”

“But you can do it.”

Ez looked accusatory. “Can I, though?” 

Jayce knew he was pushing too far. He needed to reel it back. “I think you could. You’re pretty good at acting positive when things look rough. You just need to believe it.”

Ezreal groaned. “I only do that because I’m nervous.”

“Then repeat it to yourself in your head. Over and over. If you do it enough times, it’ll calm you down. I do it all the time.”

Ezreal stifled back a laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s true! How else would I deal with Sett, honestly? He’d drive me mad otherwise.”

“I guess that’s true…” 

“It makes me wonder how Aphelios deals with him. Or what he even _sees_ in Sett.” Jayce hums.

“They _are_ a couple, right?” Ezreal seemed so sincere here. But did he _really_ not know?

“Yes. I figured it was so obvious everyone knew.” Just like Ez’s crush on Lux.

“Oh… huh… I can’t even imagine how they even got together. I mean, Sett is good looking. Really good looking. But…” 

“Looks only go so far. That’s for damn sure.” Jayce was joking, but it’s something he had experienced himself. People would show attraction to Jayce then leave once they get to know his personality. He wondered how long it would be before Ezreal felt the same way. Despite saying he liked Jayce’s brute honesty, there was a line that had to be drawn eventually. 

“Exactly!” Ezreal laughed. 

“Sett’s not my type anyway, regardless of his personality. I don’t know what people saw in him.” 

“Something about abs gets anyone worked up, I guess?” Ezreal shrugged. “Wait, I’m curious, you like guys?”

Ezreal knew this already, right? He didn’t hide it from him at all. There was no way he was that ignorant to everything around him. “Yes. Almost exclusively. Are you surprised?”

Ezreal’s face was colored red. “No! Just… you don’t… seem like the type, I guess?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Agh! Pretend I said nothing. I didn’t mean it that way. I was just -- you know what. Ignore that entire part of the conversation! Congrats! I’m proud of you! Or something!” A short pause. “Can we please change the conversation?”

“You didn’t offend me, you know?” Jayce smiled.

“You looked mad.”

Jayce thought for a moment. “Did I… really? I wasn’t trying to. I was just teasing you.”

“It’s hard to tell, honestly.” Ezreal slumped forward. “Anyway… it doesn’t matter if you like guys or not. It’s none of my business.”

Jayce took a bite of his sushi before speaking. “Well, since we’re on the topic. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you… like guys?” Jayce’s heart was thrumming so hard and fast that he couldn’t even hear himself think. He knew the answer. But there was always a margin of error. He needed to be sure. 

Ez, unable to disguise his feelings, was blushing furiously. “I -- I mean… Well… You know.. I-I…” He stuttered. “You know… I like… Uhm… Well... “ His voice got small. “Both are fine, I think?” He sunk into his seat, trying to hide his face in his jacket. “I don’t know. I do know. But I don’t know, you know?”

Jayce tried to smile as gently as he could. Something to make Ezreal know that he wouldn’t be mocked. “Take your time to figure all that out. You know, it’s scary.”

“I do have it figured out! It’s just… weird… Is all.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Ezreal growled with his mouth closed while rubbing his face. “Kinda.”

Jayce remained quiet. Ezreal would explain when he sorted out his thoughts, maybe. Or maybe not. But it didn’t hurt to give him the air time he needed. He desperately wanted to press for more, but this was a careful game. 

Ezreal, releasing a long withheld sigh, began. “I don’t think I ever really thought about it. I liked this one person for so long other people didn’t matter to me… This person was a girl, you know? She’s beautiful in every way. The way she smiles. The way she --”

“Mhm.” Jayce didn’t mean to voice that, but he didn’t care to hear about how much Ez liked Lux. Everyone had heard it before.

“Right, sorry. Anyway. Recently there’s been… someone else. A guy. He’s really cool and amazing as well. And just as good looking. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before but these same feelings I had for her I now have for him. It’s just… a lot to learn about all at once. I don’t… mind liking a guy at all, honestly. There’s nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t know until now.”

Despite wanting to respond, Jayce kept silent. He had always struggled with not letting people finish and it was a bad habit he had to fix. This was good practice. Besides, Ezreal was on the verge of figuring himself out, Jayce felt.

“And now I like two people at the same time. They’re both so amazing. I just… don’t know what to do. I’m not good when I have crushes on people. I get scared and nervous. I want to do my best to impress them and then I crash and burn.”

Jayce waited another moment before speaking. “Then you just have to be yourself. It’s more comfortable that way.”

Ezreal let out a soft laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not, at all. I have a hard time being myself around the guy I like, too. You just want them to like you more and think you’re amazing. But it’s better to be honest to yourself and them.”

“You too?”

“Yeah.” Jayce smiled. “He’s really the best guy I’ve ever met so I wanna be as cool as possible for him. Any time I think about him I stress out. I’m afraid I might mess everything up. I’m afraid he might end up hating me. But we’re still talking because I’m being myself.”

“Huh…” Ezreal looked deep in thought, so Jayce gave him time. He wanted some time in silence as well. This date -- no, hang out -- was going so well that Jayce wanted this to be every day. Even talking to Ezreal like this felt good. Their small talk felt wondrous, and when things got serious, it was so easy to talk to him. Something about this was so serene.

In this silence, Jayce could stare at Ezreal forever. While he was studying his food, lost in his head, Jayce could pick out the small details. The way his bangs hung over his face, how his ponytail spiked out, his eyes were a stark blue, Jayce’s favorite color. His face was soft and shockingly cute, given they were around the same age. He could imagine himself tracing his finger along Ez’s jaw line. Jayce’s eyes focused on Ezreal’s lips. He watched them obsessively when they were talking. Every smirk, every smile. He wanted to kiss Ezreal so bad, now. These thoughts intruded his head so easily and so quickly. At times, unexpectedly. But right now, he needed to be gentle with Ezreal. It was clear Ezreal wasn’t entirely sure of himself or how he felt. 

Ezreal caught Jayce staring a second later. Jayce pretended to not notice and look away. “How did you like the Sushi, Ez?”

“It was good! You’re right, it’s a perfect after-battle meal.” They both stood up at this point. “And now I’m tired…”

“Need me to carry you back to the dorms?” Jayce poked.

“Hah! I could race you there.”

“No thanks. I’ve seen you run. You’ll do that teleport magic to beat me, anyway.”

“Scared ‘cause you’ll lose?” 

Jayce shrugged. “And if we run, I won’t be able to talk to you.” A blunt answer, but an honest one.

Ezreal perked up at this. “Yeah, you’re right… Let’s head on out?”

The walk back started out entirely uneventful. Jayce was rummaging around in his head, figuring out what to do with his feelings, and somehow he felt as if Ezreal was doing the same. He didn’t want this night to end. There’d be others, of course. But he didn’t even get to hold hands with Ezreal. Or hug him. None of that. He felt like he had missed some opportunities that could have been taken. Or perhaps he was just being too hopeful.

“Tonight was fun.” Jayce spoke when the silence wore thin.

Ezreal hummed. “Yeah. I had a lot of fun! You’re also _really_ good at advice, Jayce. You know that?” 

“Hm? Am I?”

“Yeah!” They both stopped walking and turned to each other. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot today. _And_ you gave me a little bit of battle advice for next time!”

Jayce was puzzled. He didn’t give much battle advice at all. In fact, he purposely tried to avoid giving critiques because he didn’t want to upset Ezreal. “I did?”

“Yeah! Keep my head leveled and be confident!” Ezreal clenched his fist in a show of confidence.

Jayce’s heart felt so full it could burst. Ezreal looked so proud. So strong. _This_ was the Ezreal Jayce fell in love with. And he wasn’t sure how high in the sky he was, but he didn’t think he’d ever stop falling. “I’d like to talk to you more, and hang out with you more, Ez. If you’d like.”

“Sure! I’d love to.” Ezreal began walking then stopped when he realized Jayce wasn’t following. “Jayce?”

Confidence. Ezreal spoke of confidence. Where could Jayce find it? He knew it was somewhere inside him, welling up. His head was horrified at what could happen next but right now all he wanted to do was tell Ezreal everything he was feeling as Ezreal did for him. “Talking about confidence…” Jayce took a step closer to Ezreal, who was walking back toward him now.

Ezreal looked confused. If he was blushing, Jayce couldn’t see it as the lights were too dim. “... Is something wrong?”

“Ez, you’ve inspired me, too.”

“Huh? R-really? How?”

Jayce took a deep breath. “Because right now, I feel bold enough to say something stupid.”

Ezreal gave a puzzled expression.

“Ez, would you go out with me, please?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it move too fast? Maybe, maybe not. Do I care? No.
> 
> Also I might write a "prequel" fic about how Sett and Aphelios get together. I think that'd be fun lol.


	6. Kiting (Pt.1) (Jayce POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayce never liked unknown variables. It provided a strong level of discomfort that wouldn't leave.
> 
> And so he'd run from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely friends and readers: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA.

Ezreal’s face went through a variety of expressions; confusion, shock, fear, embarrassment. His face was red and his eyes wide as he spoke, “Huh?” His voice cracked. 

Oh no.

This was not the reaction Jayce wanted. Jayce regretted the whole day almost instantly. In a surge of confidence, he thought he could get away with just asking Ezreal out. In theory, it was simple; he asked, knowing Ez liked him back, and Ezreal, a little bit nervous, responded with a yes. But this felt like a nightmare in slow motion. A second more and Jayce couldn’t hear his own thoughts over the sound of his speeding heartbeats.

This was miserable. Absolutely awful. In a matter of milliseconds, Jayce’s head was filled with doubts. Did he somehow misread Ezreal? That didn’t seem likely. Ezreal wore his heart on his sleeve. Maybe Ez figured out Jayce had a crush on him and he was overthinking it? If that was the case, why was Ezreal freaking out so bad? Every fear Jayce had had came to fruition in this one moment.

Attempting to suppress his doubts, Jayce spoke up over Ez’s silence. “Just kidding, haha.” He rubbed the back of his neck, sweat wetting his hand. Was he  _ that  _ nervous? 

“Oh,” Ezreal squeaked out a laugh. “I almost thought you were serious for a second.”

Jayce felt his heart sink. So was he  _ actually _ wrong about Ez’s feelings? How? How could he be that wrong? “Yeah… Of course. Anyway, I -- uh -- have to go.” Jayce waved as he turned away from Ez. He didn’t want to look at his face anymore.

This was all a big misunderstanding. The whole time Jayce was just misinterpreting Ez’s reactions. Every little glance, every soft smile. Was it all for naught? Jayce clutched his chest as he walked, his heart in pain and a minor migraine becoming prominent as he continued to run through his thoughts. Like a dam they clogged his brain, causing some sort of overflow that Jayce couldn’t handle. Every light as he walked pierced his temples, every sound of someone speaking made the pain pulsate violently. By the time he reached his dorm he could hardly keep his eyes open. 

He jumped onto his bed face first without bothering to take off his boots. Within moments his pillow was wet with tears. It was the migraine, he told himself. It was just so bad that he was crying. 

This was embarrassing. This didn’t happen. Something like this wouldn’t happen to someone as strong and sure as Jayce. But here he was, crying because he didn’t know what else to do. He wasn’t sad, just stressed. He overworked himself and lead himself up with too many expectations.

Now that he thought about it, Jayce realized this might have been the first time Jayce  _ really _ wanted something and had been rejected. He always got everything he wanted. Sure, friendships failed and broke apart, but those weren’t as important to him as his inventions and continuing his role model status for everyone else. This was something new for him. He wanted to get closer to Ezreal from the first day they met. It was just a handshake, welcoming him to the academy. But for Jayce, this was the start of a long battle. 

It became difficult after that to get Ezreal off his mind. Every time he saw him in the hall, Jayce smiled. He searched for him in classrooms and battles. Protected him whenever possible in team fights. So on and so forth. Never once did Ez respond back or really notice until they were paired together. When Jayce got to see him fight up close, he was completely drawn in. His spastic, but completely intentional movements, were something to be reckoned with, and when he smiled like he was having fun, Jayce couldn’t help but fall in love a little more. It was at this point that his feelings started pouring over his work and thought process. A small gnaw turned quickly into a large maws, eating at chunks of Jayce’s brain cells. He was being eaten alive by the feelings that plagued him. Now he was bleeding out.

The dreams encompassed Jayce quickly, swiftly taking him off of his feet to another world entirely. He was a hero, building great weapons to help the entire world. He was well reviewed and everyone looked up to him. But there, in the crowd as he revealed his newest safety mechanism for humanity, Ezreal stood there, horrified and Jayce felt everything go dark, he was being pulled back by invisible arms. He tried to fight them off but they were too strong. Any time he tried to pull an arm forward, he felt his muscles straining and about to rip right out. He closed his eyes in fear and when his vision came back to him, he was left in a field. It looked familiar. Where had he seen it before?

He heard a muffled scream and Jayce ran toward it, unable to control his own movements in this dream state. He knew where this was now. It was the jungle. He saw a gromp and large rock creatures. A dragon flew overhead as he continued running. When he stopped himself, his eyes travelled down to the ground where a body lay there, bloodied and barely breathing. In the mists of red, Jayce could see strands of blond hair. It was Ezreal. 

“Ez!” Jayce knelt down and grabbed his hand instinctively. It was warm to the touch but he could feel it cooling rapidly. Ezreal’s eyes opened and pleading blue eyes pierced Jayce’s core. He looked so hurt.

“Jayce…” Ezreal coughed up a bit of blood. “You’re… a little late.”

“Ezreal, just hold on. I’ll get someone! I’ll--!”

“I needed you. And you were too late. You spent the whole time doubting yourself.” This was Ezreal’s voice, Jayce knew it well. But this wasn’t the way he’d talk. 

“What?”

“If you’re so confident in everything else… Why weren’t you confident in me?” 

He reached for Jayce’s collar but Jayce grabbed his hand. “I was confident! I knew what I was doing! I just misunderstood your feelings! I--I thought you liked me back! But I was wrong!”

“And there’s the doubt again.” A shaky smile was worn on Ez’s face now. “And this is why you’ll always fail. Always.” The voice shifted as Jayce’s vision became blurry. Ez’s body was replaced with Viktor, Jayce’s arch nemesis. 

Jayce flinched before gaining the courage to stand up. “No…” Viktor sat up. A wicked laugh echoed in his ears. He was being mocked. He didn’t fail. Jayce never failed. “Shut up! Shut. Up!” He punched Viktor in the face, trying to stop the deafening cackles, only for the face to turn back into Ezreal. Tears streamed down his face as a bruise appeared where Jayce had punched him.

“Why would you do that, Jayce?”

No. No no no. No! This isn’t what Jayce wanted. He didn’t ask for any of this. “Ezreal I’m sorry I --!”

The thread of Jayce’s psyche, so strongly bound, was beginning to be pulled. He was unravelling so fast that he couldn’t pull back all the pieces that were falling from him. What was happening to him?

The sunlight ambushed Jayce’s eyes as he shot awake covered in a cold sweat. He looked at his hands to make sure they were still connected. The rest of his room was as he had left it. He must have taken off his boots at one point in a sleepy stupor as they were messily thrown askew on the floor. He rubbed his face, clearing off the residual sleep.  _ What was that?  _ Jayce thought.  _ Why…? _ He didn’t have an answer. For once in his life he didn’t have a good answer. This horrified him. 

A deep wave of regret ran over Jayce at that moment as he remembered the events of last night. He asked out Ezreal and promptly rescinded his offer, playing it off as some sort of joke. He didn’t even wait for Ezreal’s reaction. He didn’t want to know.

That was a lie. Jayce wanted to know. He desperately needed an answer because he was coming up empty. He hated this. He hated himself. Love was a confusing thing, Jayce knew this. It was why he had spent so long avoiding it and focusing on academia. With knowledge, there always was a right answer. An explanation could always be found. But with love? It was a monster with no known habits. It did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. Wrangling with it was impossible and yet people constantly tried to fight. Jayce wished he could run from the battle, but he was too deep in at this point. It was using his regret and fear against him.

He should have let Ezreal answer, that much was obvious. The panic that grew inside of Jayce was too much and he just wanted out. But what if Ez said yes? What then? Would they go out for real? What if Ez said  _ no _ ? Jayce would respect that, he thought. Sure, he’d be a little heartbroken but that came with the territory. Instead he was left wondering what the answer would be.

Why was he so stupid? 

This stupidity continued throughout the week, to Jayce’s disappointment. He couldn’t handle seeing Ez and spent every possible moment making sure they never even existed in the same room. If they had to be in the same room, then at least they could be as far apart as possible. Jayce wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. There was no reason. 

Jayce was avoiding the problem entirely. He knew this was the case. Bringing himself to deal with it, however, was another issue entirely. It wasn’t as simple as just going over to Ezreal and trying to discuss what happened. Jayce would say a wrong thing and make Ez upset. Or Ez would run his mouth so much that he would overcomplicate the whole thing. There was no winning in this stalemate.

This all ended on day 8. Not that Jayce was counting. Professor Graves stood, clipboard in his hand, and a vile grin on his face. 

“You all remember that randomized mock battle we did a couple weeks back?”

There was an audible groan from the back of the class.

“If you have a problem with it, you can intentionally lose.” Graves pointed to the back of the class before leaning against his desk. “For the rest of you. We’re going again. It’s not gonna be randomized this time.”

A resounding sigh from the room. This wasn’t the end of it, though. Graves could see their reaction and was ready to crush their spirits. His smile said it all.

“We’re doing the same teams as last time.”

The world hated Jayce. It really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a week off! We're getting a 2-part chapter tho! Well, it's really just 2 separate chapters that take place that the same time. Whatever you get it.
> 
> That's why the chapter is shorter. Next chapter tomorrow! Probably! I shouldn't make promises I can't keep!


	7. Kiting (Pt. 2) (Ezreal POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's Ezreal to do but run away with his thoughts? Was there anyone who could even provide him the comfort he needed?
> 
> Or at least tell him what to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... didn't end up posting the new chapter the next day lol. I'm done making promises for when new chapters come out. Y'all will get them when you get them.

The nervousness overcame Ezreal quickly, drowning him with the overwhelming fear of messing everything up. Ez had his fair share of crushes and heartbreak, but never had he experienced something mutual like this. He felt confident in his feelings at this point. He liked Jayce. A whole lot. He would love to go out with Jayce and the thought of it excited him but being asked directly like this? It horrified him. He imagined Lux, just for a moment. He liked Lux too. Wouldn’t Lux feel bad if he dated Jayce? Wasn’t it like stringing her along?  _ That’s stupid. I like who I like and Jayce actually asked me out! _ Ezreal thought.

Realizing he had been completely silent, and his face had probably gone through a variety of expressions, Ezreal opened his mouth. “Huh?”

Ez wasn’t sure what was going through Jayce’s head but he looked scared for a moment. It was short. Just a blink, and Ez would have missed it. Jayce put on a fake smile. “Just kidding, haha.” 

His heart sank. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had played a prank on him like this. When he was younger, some of the other kids would ask Ez out as a joke. Was this just a repeat of that? He was so certain that Jayce liked him back that there wasn’t any reasonable evidence against it. Until now, apparently. 

Choking on words, Ez was unsure of how to respond. He didn’t want Jayce to feel like he succeeded in pulling Ez’s leg. He didn’t want him to know that he was hurt. “Oh,” Ez pretended to laugh. It was empty and he could hear his voice squeaking as he bit back tears. “I almost thought you were serious for a second.” 

Ezreal couldn’t remember what Jayce said next but he appeared disappointed. He immediately walked away before Ezreal could say goodbye and Ez was alone with his thoughts and the dim lights of the street marking his way back to his dorm.

Where did it go wrong? He had done everything in his power to try to be natural during this whole --  _ thing _ . Was Jayce disingenuous this whole time? That would have been a long con, which didn’t seem like him. Ezreal felt a tear fall from his chin. Was he seriously crying? He tried to wipe them away, but more kept coming. He never imagined being this hurt by a rejection or whatever  _ this _ was. He was stronger than that. He had mentally gone through every possible storyline with Lux. Good or bad. He prepared himself from getting hurt. He didn’t think he would have to do this with Jayce at all. 

Jayce was honest, never the kindest person with a staunch personality. This made him hard to get along with for some people, but it also meant he was extremely trustworthy. Why would Jayce make a joke about asking out Ez, then? It was horribly out of character. He didn’t want to think any further, though. He just wanted to get back to his dorm and sleep.

The walk home was dreary and silent. Ezreal pleaded with fate itself that nobody would see him red-eyed and miserable like this. His brain had already given up trying to think of Jayce. It hurt too much and he would rather shove it deep in the recesses in his mind, never to come back. 

“Ez!” 

No. This was the last thing he wanted. The voice was sunshine on a stormy day, but right now the rain was way too heavy for her voice to clear. He tried to ignore it. He wanted to pretend she wasn’t there. This hurt him, too. He continued walking, refusing to look for the owner of the voice.

“I’ve been looking for you!” Lux began her stride alongside Ez. A smile beaming on her face for a moment before it shifted to something more applicable to the situation. “Ez?”

He kept his face down, hoping Lux wouldn’t notice. It didn’t help.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just… tired.”

“Did you see Jayce today?”

On the money. How did she know?  _ What _ did she know? Ezreal was clueless on how to respond without wanting to cry more. He chose to keep his mouth shut, instead. Lux wasn’t the prying type, right? 

“Ez, are you alright?” Her voice was gentle. A ray of sunshine in what was probably the worst night of Ez’s life. Okay, that might not have been true, but it sure  _ felt _ like it. She gently placed her hand on his back. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

“You already know, don’t you?” Ez didn’t want to blurt out what he was thinking but when did he ever think before he spoke? A vitriolic fire burned in the pit of his stomach and it was rising like a volcano about to explode. Why did she have to be here? Why did she have to ask him questions? Why, when he was at his most vulnerable, would  _ she _ be here? Doesn’t she know what she did to him? He tried so hard to reach for her and she never once tried to give an arm but now she suddenly gives a damn? That just didn’t sit right with him. 

She was quiet for a moment. The warmth of her hand faded as she shifted her stance. “I don’t know much… honestly. I just -- Ezreal, what happened? Whatever it is, I’m here for you. I just thought --”

The anger boiled. “Oh, so you care now?” He spat, tears stinging his face. He couldn’t look at her straight, his eyes moving the perimeter of her visage. He was mad. He wanted to stay mad. It made him forget that he was hurting. When he looked at Lux all he could feel was pain. The only thing that surrounded him was the horrific notion that every person Ez had feelings for had screwed him over one way or another. 

But that was wrong. He knew that. Lux never did anything wrong. Even if she wanted to, Ezreal didn’t think it was possible for her. She was vibrant and cheerful, always caring for others before herself, and when things started going wrong, she was the first to perk up and pull up everyone’s spirits. She wouldn’t intentionally hurt a fly. 

She said nothing and that silence caused more damage than anything else she could have said. There was a crushing weight in his chest that felt like it was about to break his sternum. The pressure suffocated him and his breaths became short. The weight of everything constricted him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.” He succumbed. His breath began to gain some depth again. 

“No, you’re just hurting.” There it was again. The same tone of voice Lux used on everyone. It was beautiful and harmonious. It soothed even the wildest of nerves. No matter how down you were, it held a hand out to you, begging you to take it and walk with it for a while.

Ez took that hand. “Yeah, what made you think that?” The concept of confessing what happened today with Lux scared him. He still liked her, that was certain. The way she made his heart race might have subsided a little, but she was still there in his heart and his head. Maybe he was falling in love with Jayce, now. Maybe she was being replaced. But she was special to him. 

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, you know?” Lux’s smile was slight. It was enough to let you know that she was happy to listen, and it welcomed you with open arms. But it wasn’t so vibrant it blinded you. 

“I guess I do, huh?” He forced out a laugh, although it sounded more like a painful cry than anything else. “I can’t help it, really.”

She took Ez’s hand in her own and held it in front of her. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But just know that I care about you.” She puts her other hand on it, as if she was pleading with him. “And I’m always here to listen.”

If Ezreal hadn’t begun talking to Jayce, this would have made him short circuit. Had he not talked to Jayce, Ezreal would be bright red and completely unfocused. He would make a stupid joke, a pun maybe. Lux would laugh and then they would look into each other’s eyes. But those fantasies were gone now. Instead, he was left with an aura of tranquil.

He wasn’t sure where to begin. What did she know? Did she know it was about Jayce? She obviously  _ had _ to know or else she wouldn’t have mentioned him in the first place. “Jayce and I went on a --” No. That wasn’t it at all. Obviously. Things would have been different then. “We were hanging out. You know, like friends do.” Friends… RIght.

She stood there as Ezreal went through the story. She kept a smile on her face, nodding when she needed to nod for him to continue. Not once did she speak up. She didn’t make any weird faces. She just accepted things as they were. He skipped details about Jayce’s insecurities, not wanting to add more salt to the wounds of their friendship or… whatever they had. He guessed it was nothing now. 

“And so now I’m just left wondering what the  _ hell _ that was!” At the end of it all, Ezreal just became more and more pressed. The more details he recalled, the more confused he got. The more questions he wanted to ask Jayce, the more he wanted to scream. “Was it all just a joke to him?! I cared about him! Like I  _ really _ liked him!”

Lux held her response until Ez let out a deep sigh. “I see… that would be weird, huh? That doesn’t sound like Jayce at all…”

“I know, that’s why I don’t know what to do.”

“Can I give you my honest opinion about it?” She clasped her hands behind her back, looking as sweet and innocent as she always did. There was no way you could say no to her like that. Ez especially so. He nodded. Desperately wanting some other opinion other than the horrifying thoughts in his head. “I think he’s scared.”

Something felt like it shattered at Ezreal’s feet. His mental balance lost its footing and began falling. What did she  _ mean _ he was scared? What did he have to be afraid of? Why would he make it out to be like some sort of joke? Didn’t he know what sort of hell Ezreal had been through? At a second thought, maybe he didn’t. But this didn’t satiate him. “What do you mean he’s scared?”

“He’s afraid you won’t like him back, I think.” Lux was always good at reading people but was she seriously  _ this _ good? 

The more Ezreal chewed on this explanation, the more sense it made. Jayce had explained multiple times that he was full of doubts. Was he seriously doubting Ezreal’s feelings for him? How was Ez supposed to show him how he felt? With Lux it felt easy just to try to look cool; say something funny, or try to be relatable. He couldn’t do that with Jayce. It didn’t feel right. It felt insincere. But maybe that was the right way to go. 

Ezreal took a breath. “So… he’s afraid it’s not mutual?”

“Is it mutual? Do you like him?”

It was a question Ezreal confidently knew the answer to. But to tell Lux? “I…” He paused. It hurt to answer “I do.”

“Then I think you need to tell him. I don’t think he’d believe it unless you told him outright.” Lux looked as if she was thinking. She hummed. “He’s a science-y type, right? He needs hard evidence before he believes anything.” 

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey Jayce, I’m in love with you!’ or something?! That sounds so stupid!” Ez could feel embarrassment reaching his face. Just saying those words made him nervous. 

She clapped her hands together “I think that would work!”

“No, Lux. Absolutely not. I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because--! Because…” He racked his brain for a reason. “Because … Uh… Well…”

Lux tilted her head. “Becaaaaaaause?” 

Ezreal’s face was definitely a deep red at this point. He stared at her, his heart racing. “Uh… uhm... “ She was right and he just had to admit it. All he had to do was confess to Jayce right? That was easy, right? Just go right up to him and be like ‘sup Jayce I think your face is really cute and i wanna kiss it. Can we date?’ That would work! Or would that be too forward?

“I think that would be  _ perfect _ !” Lux interjected.

“Huh?! Did you read my thoughts?!”

She giggled. “You just said it out loud.”

Ezreal wanted to rip his hair out. “Ah! Pretend you didn’t hear it. Forget it. Forget ALL of it. Seriously.” She was smiling big now. “Lux please. Please. Pretend I said nothing. Stop laughing!  _ Why _ are you looking at me like that!?”

She danced around as Ez pleaded. “I think you’re on the right track, though. Really.”

“When am I supposed to say something like that?!”

“When you’re alone, talking things out. You’ll know the right time.”

Ezreal gave a defeated groan. “Lux, I don’t know if you’ve noticed… but I’m  _ really _ bad at the whole ‘right time’ thing.”

“And that’s why Jayce will  _ love _ it when you tell him that.” She poked me in the chest. “It’s part of your natural charm.”

“Huh?” Ezreal was shocked to hear that. “I-is it?”

She winked. “He sure thinks so.”

So all he had to do was talk it out with him. That sounded simple enough. During that discussion, he would just randomly spew his guts out and confess to Jayce. Less easy, but maybe if he turned his brain off for a couple seconds it could be done. All he had to do was say he liked Jayce. That was easy. So easy. He could say it 1000 times over.  _ ‘I like Jayce. I like Jayce. I like Jayce. I like Jayce…’  _ Okay maybe not 1000 times over, but like, 4 times was enough. 

“Thank you so much Lux! I’m gonna tell him how I really feel!”

“Yay! I believe in you! Even if it looks bad now, you’re going to be his ray of sunshine!” Without warning, she pulled him in for a hug. Had it been a month or two ago, this would have been Ez’s dream come true. But now, it just felt right. He needed this. It made him feel strong. Like he could take on the world. “Now get to the dorms before curfew.”

“Shouldn’t I be telling you the same thing?” 

She laughed. “I guess so!”

Ezreal never saw Jayce again. For over a week he just wasn’t there. He simply disappeared from the campus. Was he avoiding Ezreal? If what Lux said was true, he’s probably holding everything in and running from his doubt, right? Ugh, the idea of that made him want to shake the brains out of Jayce. It was fine! Everything was going to be fine! Because Lux said so!

But another day passed. And another. And the few times he did see Jayce, Jayce avoided him entirely. Eye contact, none; sitting on the other side of the room; running out and disappearing the moment Ezreal could have called his name. It was all intentional.

Ezreal was afraid of this but he wasn’t sure what else to do. He couldn’t get himself alone with Jayce at all.

After 8 grueling days of Ezreal sitting on his feelings, he finally had a chance to talk to Jayce again. And it was during another mock battle. 

“You all remember that randomized mock battle we did a couple weeks back?” Graves spoke, as if Ezreal could have forgotten it.

Someone groaned, and Ezreal almost thought it was himself. “If you have a problem with it, you can intentionally lose.” Graves chastised. “For the rest of you. We’re going again. It’s not gonna be randomized this time.”

This was a relief for Ezreal. Or maybe it wasn’t. He wanted to see Jayce again. He wanted to fight with Jayce again. But he  _ needed _ to talk to him first. He couldn’t do that during  _ combat _ . Well, he could. It would be stupid though.

“We’re doing the same teams as last time.” 

Okay, maybe confessing during combat wasn’t the way Ezreal wanted it to go. But it was surely sounding like the best option. He looked over at Jayce, standing on the opposite corner of the room. He stared at Graves, horrified. 

Ezreal wasn’t sure how to feel about that reaction, but there was no way Jayce could avoid him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! No beta reader but my friend DID watch me type half of it in a stream so that was fun.


	8. Feeding (Ezreal POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I'm back. Sorry I got busy, then got depressed, then got a job and started working on music again. BUT I'm back with a new chapter and it's long-ish! Yay!

He couldn’t even get next to Jayce when they were walking to the arena. Despite the rest of the students walking together, planning strategies and battle dynamics, Jayce remained at the front, opting to talk to Professor Graves rather than his own teammates.

There was the sound of knuckles cracking. “Lookin’ lost, Ez.” Sett’s voice reverberated next to Ezreal, making him jump. A large hand clapped Ezreal’s shoulder as Sett leaned his face beside Ezreal’s. “Whatcha starin’ at?” 

Ez turned his eyes away from Jayce’s back, hoping Sett wouldn’t notice. He leaned away from Sett’s touch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh?” Sharp canines shined in his smirk. “Oho?” His eyes focused on one person in particular. 

The last thing Ezreal wanted was for Sett to blurt out something stupid. That was Ez’s job. “Don’t say it.” Ez shushed. Please, Sett already  _ knew _ Ezreal was into a man. The last thing he needed was for Sett to tell  _ literally everyone in a hundred foot radius _ with his loud mouth. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t say it.”

“I ain’t thinkin’ anythin’.” Sett shrugged. “Y’all get into a fight?”

Ezreal didn’t want to answer that. “Something like that. I don’t know.” He gave a response anyway. Somewhere in his heart he was thinking maybe Sett would have some good advice for once even if the last time wasn’t exactly useful.

Sett hummed. “So your type is the prez, huh?” He itched the stubble on his chin. Ezreal wanted to take a pair of tweezers and pull each hair out one by one. Any louder and everyone in his class would know. “Guess ya gotta get that figured out before the battle, huh? Otherwise we’re going to stomp you guys to the ground.” He mocked.

“Do I look like I’m in the mood, Sett?” Ezreal glowered. 

“You look like a cat who just found out he has to get a bath. So not really.” He shrugged. “Whatcha fight about?”

“... Can you talk a little more quietly?” 

He put his face closer to Ez’s. “Sure. But you know you are the most obvious person when you like someone? It ain’t gonna matter if I scream it to everyone or not.”

“Anyway,” Ezreal grumbled, his face feeling warm. “He… said something weird a week ago and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.” Sett didn’t respond, but he seemed like he was listening so Ez continued. “He uh… asked me out.”

“Uh-huh.” Sett’s ear twitched. “And?”

“And then he said he was kidding.”

Sett pursed his lips. “So he yanked your chain. Pretty shitty thing to do; and that’s comin’ from me.”

Ezreal rubbed his arm nervously, choosing to look at his feet instead. “That’s the thing… The first thing I thought was that but now I’m not too sure. I don’t know. This is all super annoying and confusing.” 

“Didja talk to him about it?”

“What do you think?” Ezreal snapped back. 

“Hey, who d’ya think you’re talkin’ to?” Sett glared for a moment before rolling his eyes. “You should talk to him about it then. Obviously.”

This was clearly going nowhere. Sett was actually useless. “I  _ tried.  _ But he’s avoiding me.”

Sett whistled low. “Shit, that’s annoying.”

“So you see my problem?”

“Yep.” Sett clicked his tongue. “I see the answer, too.”

Ez felt his mood lighten ever so slightly. “What?!” There was no way Sett understood anything that was happening. Had he ever even talked to Jayce beyond being scolded? There’s no way he would  _ willingly _ talk to Jayce, that’s for damn sure. Looking at the red-headed Vastayan, though, he seemed pleased and sure of himself. A slight smile was on his look-at-me-and-I’ll-punch-you face and he was facing forward in complete confidence. After a couple seconds of silence, Ezreal’s patience wore thin. “What’s the answer?”

“Hold up, damn. I’m tryin’ to figure out how to word it.” He draped his arm over Ezreal’s shoulders and leaned close to him. “Knowin’ what I know about you, I’m sure you made some sort of stupid ass face when he asked, right?”

“Huh?!”

“Yeah, a face like that.” Sett poked Ezreal’s chin before continuing. “Now, I got a good grip on Jayce. He’s a hardass, cocky piece of shit who’s got a stick up his ass.” Ezreal wanted to correct him, but he was right. As much as he liked Jayce and got to see the sweet parts of him, on the outside he  _ definitely _ appeared that way. “Pretty sure ‘cause of that he overthinks everythin’.” 

Ezreal took in Sett’s words, hiding his surprise that Sett was being rather insightful in his own way; laden with insults and cursing, Sett actually knew what he was saying. If Jayce really does overthink everything… 

“You pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down?” A short moment passed, hardly long enough for Ezreal to squeak in a single word. “So he probably saw your stupid mug lookin’ like a cornered cat and thought you were grossed out or somethin’.” 

He wanted to rip his hair out. Ez wanted to believe Sett was right. The overexcited optimism stimulated his heart in a way he could only describe as: the one time he got to dance with Lux at a party. His brain caught up shortly after, reminding him that this was  _ Sett’s _ opinion. Meaning it could be entirely wrong. He didn’t want to get his hopes up for nothing. He already did that enough with Lux, why should he do that with Jayce? 

Or was it, perhaps, that he was cursed to always feel this way; stuck in a stagnant state of unrequited feelings, rinsing and repeating his flirtatious behavior only to be put down and inevitably push away the one he loves? Even in the off chance that Jayce had liked him back, had Ezreal ruined it beyond repair?

“You look like you’re havin’ some sort of existential crisis -- or you’re constipated. -- Either way, stop it. Ya look dumb like that.”

Sett had pulled him out of his inner monologue. “Huh?” He felt a headache coming on. Oh man, maybe thinking hard  _ was _ bad for him.

Or maybe it was the violent noogie Sett proceeded to give him. “Figure it out. Ya don’t got long before we see you in the arena. I don’t intend on goin’ easy on you. I got a guy to impress too, yanno.” Sett winked before jogging forward. “Phel! Let’s talk strategy.” 

He was by himself again and dangerous thoughts began to loom over him. If he sunk further into his subconscious, eventually he would have given himself a migraine. He slapped himself in the face, trying to clear his mind.

It was no use, though, as he caught sight of Lux. She strode over to Jayce and began talking to him. Her face was bright, filled with excitement.  _ ‘She’s still beautiful.’ _ Ezreal thought before Jayce turned toward her. It was swift; just a nod over in her direction as a greeting. He wasn’t smiling and he appeared lost in his own head. Ezreal felt his heart skip a beat. The next pulse was so hard he felt it crush against his ribcage. Jayce was relentlessly handsome. Ezreal remembered the way Jayce looked at him, full of smiles and honest interest; the gravitational pull of his stares, his genuine laugh. Jayce really was the full package and even more.

It came to him quickly, breaking into Ez’s consciousness like a giant meteor, falling into the world’s atmosphere, soaring through the sky at breakneck speeds before crashing into the ground, changing the landscape for better or worse. When it impacted, it blinded Ezreal with a light so bright he thought that he might never see again. When it was safe to open his eyes again, he was met with Jayce holding out a hand to him. The world around Ezreal was the same; every person he had met, every memory he could recall, they were still there. He was the same as he ever was, even if for a moment he felt like he couldn’t recognize it. A new feeling wrapped around him. No, it wasn’t new -- it was something that was always there. An emotion he recognized. Something he once felt for Lux.

Love.

And even if it was for a man, he was still the same as he had always been.

That was alright.

Jayce had completely overtaken Lux in his heart and Ezreal was happy with that.

With that in mind, Ezreal reached for Jayce’s hand.

The arena had a draft and a cold wind gave Ezreal goosebumps. He stood next to Jayce at the shop, who was buying his first times. “So…”

“I don’t know what I’m questioning. I’ll purchase the Doran’s Blade, please.” It was as if he didn’t hear Ezreal.

“... Ahem… Jayce?” He walked away, toward the bottom lane. Ezreal’s heart sank a little. Jayce wouldn’t even look in his general direction. What was he supposed to do when he couldn’t even get a  _ glance _ ? He followed behind, trying to think of ways to get Jayce to talk.

When they got to the front turret, Jayce leaned against it, appearing anxious to start. This was the  _ perfect _ time, Ezreal thought. “So Jayce, I know we haven’t --.”

“You forgot to buy items.” Jayce’s voice was cold and distant. 

“What?” 

“You. Forgot. To. Buy. Items. Go back.” The response was so stern. So damned demeaning. It was as if they had never spoken before.

Sure, Jayce was right. Ez was so busy thinking, he had forgotten to buy essential items for a support to have. He didn’t care. He was a stranger to Jayce now and he wasn’t going to accept that. 

“Well, if I get slain, I’ll get it then.” Ezreal crossed his arms, a surge of anger building in his chest.

“Seriously? You’ll hold us both back if you do that.”

“So? I don’t feel like backing. It’ll be fine.”

“Fine.” Jayce shrugged before walking forward, refusing to look toward Ezreal.

Why didn’t that work? Why was Jayce  _ still _ ignoring him? 

Two minutes.

Two minutes into the match and Ezreal was cleaved by Aphelios’s guns while Sett pulled him in. He felt his body teleport back to the nexus. He had the gold to buy the items he needed, but as he looked at the shop, he felt a surge of rebellion.

Jayce didn’t deserve a support.

Not until he talked to Ezreal.

“You forgot items,  _ again. _ ” Jayce was under the turret, eyeing Sett with disdain. Sett raised an eyebrow at Ezreal as if to say ‘still didn’t fix it, huh?’ Ez shook his head in response.

“Oops. Oh well. Next time I get slain then.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Go back and get items.”

“Sure let me just step in front of Aphelios and --.”

“And feed him?”

“Sure.”

“Are you serious right now?” He finally turned toward Ezreal. 

There was no anger in his face, despite what his voice tried to portray. Jayce was sullen, beautiful blue eyes darkened with worry and hurt. Ezreal’s heart sank to his feet. He didn’t like this look. Where was the confidence? The cockiness? Everything Sett hated and Ezreal loved?

He continued. “You’re going to feed our lane and screw us.”

“So?” Ezreal stood his ground. Not that he wanted to, he simply had no other choice. If this would get Jayce to talk, so be it.

“We would get a bad grade.”

“So?”

Jayce was dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing, trying to find words that weren’t there. Giving up, he stared at his feet before turning around. “Fine.”

Nope, Ezreal wasn’t doing this. Ezreal wasn’t going to let Jayce just pretend nothing was happening. He stared at Sett, who had just finished clearing off a cannon minion. When Sett locked eyes, he shrugged, clearly unbothered by his enemies refusing to cooperate with each other.

He ran as fast as he could directly into Sett, firing shots and missing entirely. Sett’s bloodthirsty grin burned into Ezreal’s memory before the fists came and he was slain again.

Getting slain hurt. A lot. Like, way more than the heartbreak Ezreal was feeling at the moment. Over the team intercom’s Katarina spoke. “What the fuck are you doing out there, Ezreal? Seriously?”

He didn’t respond. He once again refused to buy items and ran back to bot lane. He heard an ‘Ally has been slain’ and checked the scoreboard to see Jayce was Sett’s most recent victim.

Katarina was clearly pissed. “Jayce?! Why did you go in on that?!”

“Sorry.” 

When Ezreal came back to the turret, Sett was doing away with chunks of the tower with his bare hands. “Lookin’ rough.” He said as he stepped back from the turret’s range. Aphelios must have backed for items or something, as he was nowhere to be seen.

Ezreal cleared the rest of the minions as he spoke. “If you hurt me enough, maybe he’ll listen.”

“Hey, I’m not gonna complain about an easy lane.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Stop bein’ a little passive aggressive dick and be honest with him. That’s what you should do; or punch him in the face, which is what I did.”

Ezreal sighed, he was right. He hated it, but Sett was  _ actually _ right.

“You still brought no items.” Jayce spoke up as Sett ran back behind Aphelios, who had also just returned.

“Ah man I for--,” He was going to lie. He was going to laugh it off like the prankster he was. It was instinct for him. Pushing against that, he corrected himself. “We need to talk.”

“During a match.”

“Not like I could talk to you any other time since you’re avoiding me.” Ezreal’s words must have stung, as Jayce visibly flinched. “So we’re talking now.”

“... What’s there to talk about?”

“So many things. The weather, whether Aphelios paints his face every day, how hot I am…” 

Jayce narrowed his eyes. It was a nervous habit of Ezreal’s to be as sarcastic as possible. He couldn’t help it at this point. He hoped it drove his point home.

Stepping past Ezreal, in a low voice, Jayce spoke. “What do you want me to say?” He lifted his hammer and began killing minions. A second later and Aphelios stunned him and Sett was beginning to run toward him. 

Teleporting forward, Ezreal shot a couple of shots at Sett, causing him to lose a good chunk of health points. Despite the lack of items, Ezreal  _ could _ hurt. Standing beside Jayce now, Ezreal responded. “I want you to explain what the  _ hell _ is going on.”

“I could ask  _ you _ the same thing.” Jayce retorted as Sett sent a punch forward, causing Ezreal and him to dodge in separate directions. 

Another skill shot toward Sett, missed by a hair. “You just suddenly ran off and began ignoring me! Want to explain that?”

Jayce switched to his cannon and fired a shot at Aphelios. “I --,” He leapt further away from Ezreal trying to dodge Aphelios’s long shot. He shook his head, looking like he had no idea what to say. “I thought you --.”

_ Ally has been slain. _ As Sett finally closed the distance with a flash and Jayce’s body fell to the ground, soon to disappear and head back to spawn. 

“Hey! I  _ just _ got him talking!” 

“Talk faster. I’m gettin’ bored.” Sett chased Ezreal back under turret. 

Sett really didn’t care about being helpful, did he? He was  _ so _ annoying. He cracked his knuckles, waiting for Ezreal to do something.

“Go back and buy items.” Jayce’s voice felt like a broken record at this point.

“You thought I…” Ezreal mimicked.

Jayce stared at Ez, dumbstruck. The silence was overwhelming and for a second he thought about leaving the turret’s range and having Sett just kill him again.

“I thought you… might have… hated me…”

Ezreal took a step back in shock. “Why would I--?”

He felt a tug as he was pulled into Sett. A quick combo and Ezreal was eliminated again. “Oops, you got too close!” He heard Sett jeer. 

_ ‘I swear I’m gonna kill Sett.’ _ Ezreal thought as he  _ finally _ decided to buy the items he needed. He gave in, just a little, but he thought Jayce was starting to answer him so it was acceptable.

Getting back to the turret, Jayce patiently waited, mindlessly killing minions. At some point, Katarina came down to keep them at bay, taking Aphelios down along the way.

“You bought items.”

“You started talking.” Ezreal smirked. He swore he saw Jayce blush ever so slightly. “Why did you think I would hate you? Why would I ever hate you?”

Without stopping what he was doing, Jayce responded. “I don’t know. You just… had this look…” 

Sett was right. Sett was  _ right _ and now Ezreal felt like the biggest idiot. He was dumber than Sett. How?

After clearing the minion wave, Jayce turned to face Ezreal. “I didn’t want to avoid you. I was just… hurt and scared though I hate to admit it.” 

Scared? Hurt? Seriously?  _ The _ Jayce was scared? Ezreal’s heart hurt. “How do you think I felt?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to think about it.”

“Well I was hurt, a lot. All I wanted was to talk to you and you avoided me.”

“Sorry.”

The ball was rolling now, Ez couldn’t stop himself. “I didn’t understand what was going on. You asked me out then pretended it was some sort of joke.”

“Sorry.”

“I thought  _ you _ hated me. I thought you were just -- pranking me. Making fun of my feelings.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I felt bad for being myself.”

“I never wanted that to happen.”

Ezreal took a deep breath and sighed. That felt good. Getting it all out was therapeutic. “I didn’t mean to make you upset either. I didn’t think about you or your feelings. I should have figured I had done something but--.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was my fault for overthinking it.”

Ezreal shook his head. “It was my fault for not realizing it.”

“Stop blaming yourself.”

“We both messed up.” Ezreal shrugged, trying to keep hold of his confidence before it drifted away with the wind.

Jayce didn’t respond, opting to stare instead. His eyes were filled with longing, Ezreal thought. 

Ezreal nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Can we try this again? Just -- retcon the last week or so?” 

“Huh?” The inflection in Jayce’s voice reminded Ezreal of himself. Did his speech patterns affect Jayce?

“I want you to ask me again.”

“Ask you aga--?” He stopped talking, his face turning bright red. “O-Oh… you mean…”

Ezreal began walking toward him. “You know what I mean.”

Jayce took a deep breath, centering himself and fixing his posture. As he opened his mouth to speak, a voice screamed at them over the intercoms. “If you two don’t get up here and  _ help with dragon _ I’m leaving you guys to feed bot lane.”

Ezreal just wanted some  _ peace and quiet _ for a couple seconds. “Give us a min--” 

“Ezreal I am going to use you as target practice if you don’t get your ass up here to help. Same with you, Jayce.”

“On our way.” Jayce spoke officially, treading past Ezreal. “C’mon.”

“B-but… ugh fine.” He succumbed.

The moment he stepped into the river, Jayce and Ezreal were met with all 5 enemies staring them down, Katarina giving them the stink eye. She lunged forward, beginning to whittle down at Aphelios’s health. He missed a shot and couldn’t get away.  _ An enemy has been slain _ . A few seconds later, she disappeared.  _ An ally has been slain. _ And so the fighting began.

_ Ace! _ The dragon was finished off by Lux before she was killed. All that was left was a very exhausted Jayce and Ezreal. 

Through exhausted breaths, Jayce spoke up. “Let’s head back to lane. We need to farm to catch up.”

“Wait… before we go back.”

Jayce stopped dead in his tracks before turning around to face Ezreal. They were only a few feet away from each other. Regardless of the scrapes and bruises that Jayce had, he was still dazzling. His eyes shined with a refreshed shimmer of hope. A tuft of his hair had fallen onto his forehead from sweat. He took a deep breath. “Ez, would you go out with me please?"

Even hearing it a second time made Ezreal’s heart race. Surging through his body was every positive emotion possible and it felt so  _ good _ . He felt  _ full. _ “I’d love to.” He mustered up the courage to respond. 

Red faced and awkward, the two of them laughed. It felt good to laugh. “Good.” Jayce continued. “Let’s go kick Sett’s butt.”

“Wait, wait -- can I ask something as well?”

“What? Hurry, Katarina will get mad if we stand here for too long.”

Ezreal nervously played with the hem of his shirt. “Uh… say… if we win… could I get a kiss?”

Jayce’s blush rose to his ears. “Oh, uh… sure? Yeah. Yes. Definitely.” He took a deep breath. “If we win this match, I’ll kiss you.”

The battle lasted  _ much _ longer than the last one. After giving a strong push, Ezreal and Jayce finally began synergizing. It might not have been perfect, but they learned each other’s rhythms and battle styles. Jayce wasn’t the best at chasing down low health enemies, but with help from his Acceleration Gate, Ezreal could easily get the final shot. They used this to their advantage multiple times, eventually gaining the upper hand on Sett and Aphelios. The team fights became anyone’s game when they started. Everyone fought their hardest. Both sides were pushed up to their Nexus turrets before one good Lux ultimate granted the gateway to victory.

_ ‘Game!’ _ The announcer spoke as Katarina got the last hit on the enemy Nexus. Jayce and Ezreal had just respawned, having been killed by a lucky Aphelios ultimate. 

“We won?” Ezreal spoke as he looked at the scoreboard. “We won!”

“Good. I didn’t want  _ another _ loss affecting my grade.” Jayce laughed. He spoke into the comms. “Good game, everyone.”

“Good game, Jayce.” Ezreal responded directly, unable to stop himself from smiling.

“You did great, Ezreal.” Jayce stepped closer to Ezreal, putting a hand on his shoulder in congratulation. 

“So did y--.” Leaning forward, Jayce pressed his lips against Ezreal’s. 

Oh man, Ezreal had  _ completely _ forgotten about the promise earlier in the match. They were both covered in sweat and grime, exhausted mentally and physically by a prolonged battle, but the kiss revived Ezreal. Jayce’s lips were warm, and Ez could feel himself thinking about this feeling for the next few weeks as he closed his eyes hoping to extend the kiss for at least a couple milliseconds longer. 

When their lips parted, Ezreal pressed his hand to Jayce’s chest and leaned in, closing the gap between them again. Jayce hummed in response to the second kiss, letting it last a little longer. It was gross, messy, but so sweet. He had always imagined this with Lux but, jeez, Jayce was good -- no -- better than what he had once imagined with Lux. This was real.

Jayce put distance between them and took Ezreal’s hand in his own. “Careful. I don’t want Professor Graves getting onto us about kissing in the Arena.”

Ezreal tried to deepen his voice and put on an accent. “Keep that in private. The battlefield is for fightin’.” 

Jayce burst out laughing. “Was that supposed to be Professor Graves?!”

Ezreal blushed. “Duh! Couldn’t you tell?!”

“No! You sounded like you were trying to imitate Sett!” Jayce could hardly speak through his laughter. Ezreal found it extremely charming. Like everything else about Jayce.

“I’ll have you know everyone else  _ loves _ my impressions.” Ezreal pouted, putting his hands on his hips.

“Why? Because they’re terrible?” He snickered. “Sorry. Sorry. That was mean.”

“Hey! You have to like my impressions now. It’s your duty as my boyfriend.” He didn’t  _ mean _ to say the b-word, but it was too late to take it back now.

Jayce gazed at Ezreal, a gentle smile smothered his red face. “It’s my duty as your boyfriend to tell you your jokes are bad.” 

Ezreal shrugged. “I guess I can accept that as long as you laugh.”

“Deal.”

Ezreal didn’t want to forget the look on Jayce’s face. He didn’t want to forget the feeling that filled his entire being. He wanted it burned into his memory forever. 

Was this what love was like? Was this what he was missing all this time?

Ezreal could get addicted to this feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoy as always.
> 
> Also, I am still planning to do that Settphel BA prequel fic. It'll probably be after I finish this one which... should be maybe another chapter? Maybe? I feel like I've mostly finished what I wanted to tell but we shall see...


End file.
